Indulging the Heart
by Rae1
Summary: It’s a week until Valentine’s Day, and poor Yamato has just broken up with his girlfriend. Will seven days be long enough to come out to his friends, get the guy, and have a happy ever after? It is when you’re destined. Yamasuke, small Kenkeru
1. February 7th

Author: Raegan

Title: Indulging the Heart

Rating: PG (maybe PG-13 for language).

Warnings: shounen-ai. Very fluffish. Yamasuke as the main. Some side Taiora and Jyoushiro.

Summary: It's a week until Valentine's Day, and poor Yamato has just broken up with his girlfriend. Will seven days be long enough to come out to his friends, get the guy, and have a happy ever after? It is when you're destined.

A note about the holiday. In Japan, it's custom for girls to give chocolates to their friends, family, and crushes. Guys do not reciprocate until White Day, which we don't have in the US. In the U.S. it is customary for couples to swap gifts (mostly for guys to buy roses and chocolates for their girls). For the sake of the story, we'll go with Japanese custom.

A note about timeline. This is after Season02, but I am discounting the epilogue. The Digimon are in the Digital World, and everything else is just a really bad dream.

A note about ages. For this, Jyou is 18, Yama/etc are 17, and Koushiro/Miyako are 16, and everyone else, with the exception of Iori, who is 14, is 15.

-----~~~~~-----

__

February 7th

I'll always try to figure out why I had the dream…nightmare. It was horrid, sitting and watching the lives of my friends turn out all wrong, like some screwed up B-rated movie that has more screaming than plot.

Some of it doesn't sound bad to me, but the rest…some of the rest of it is just really wrong. Ken and Miyako I can imagine as a couple. The twelve of us with kids is a reasonable ideal, though I've never planned on becoming a father.

However, the odds of me becoming an astronaut and marrying Sora is zero to the negative side of infinity, which means that it won't happen in a million years. I've thought about it, about the two of us being a couple, and the whole concept…

We broke up yesterday. Started dating at Christmas, managed to make it last a whole three years, and then we break up because she finally realizes what everyone has known for years; she was meant to be with Tai.

Am I sad? Someone asked me that this morning, at school, when they figured out that Tai and Sora were holding hands. Am I sad? No. And in a way, yes. Being single is nothing like I thought it would be. Already, I've had eight people offer to fill the 'void' that my 'life must have become'. It makes me laugh, and it makes me sick, to have people seem to think so little of my self-esteem.

I'm not suffering from the breakup, at least, not in that sense.

I've thought ahead to this weekend, and to the weekend after that, and I realized that with my girlfriend and best friend dating, I now have no one to spend time with.

That's not entirely true. There's always Jyou and Koushiro, but…it's awkward between the three of us since they started going out. Taichi and the others don't know yet, and I wouldn't either, if I hadn't walked in on them at Koushiro's. I went to pick up a book for an assignment, and the door was ajar…By the time I left, Koushiro's face matched his hair, and poor Jyou was about ready to choke on his own tongue.

They can't seem to understand why I'm not upset; it's like they expected me to freak out and tell the world what they were doing. I just think it's kind of cute. Jyou is a good six inches taller than Koushiro, and that's the biggest difference between them. They're the sort of couple that can just coexist together for the next thirty years without thinking much about it, or without having to work for it.

Do I envy them? I think I do, much in the same way that I envy Tai and Sora. Not because of 'who' they have, but the fact that they have someone, that they're happy, and that they don't have to worry about finding 'the one', because they already have them.

The thought both depresses me and brings me happiness; the latter is for them. Friendship…it fills me with peace, knowing that some of my nearest and dearest will be happy, and that I'll most likely not have to worry about mending broken hearts.

Mimi sent a letter to everyone a month ago that she and Michael were dating. I just remembered that…I guess it's not too odd to think of such a thing when I'm contemplating relationships.

As for the younger destined, I have no idea how they're faring. They're probably a bit too young, yet, for relationships, but then again…they were eleven or so when they saved the world, to say that they're too young to be ready for anything would be an insult to them, and to us…'us', the original destined, and we weren't even the first…

Maybe, I'll call Takeru and see how he's doing. It's been a couple of days since I've seen him, but it's been at least two months since I sat down and -talked- to him. At one point in time, I would have been giving myself grief at the fact that I've neglected my little brother, but…another fact of life: kids grow up and don't need protected anymore. And Takeru hasn't needed me for a very long time.

Am I sad?

I think that today, especially, I'm sad. We have one week until Valentine's Day, seven days until the day that I am dreading most in the world. For the last several years, I've had my relationship with Sora to protect me…even if valentine's still leaked out of my locker, there were no girls actually vying for my attention, no one to actually attempt to get me to do more than eat their chocolates.

This holiday…it scares me suddenly, in a way that I haven't been scared in a long time. It will mark my first year as a single guy after three years of dating a girl, and with it comes some very real, very inescapable feelings and thoughts.

I, Ishida Yamato, am gay.

I have no boyfriend.

I have no lover.

And since no one knows that I'm gay, there is very little likelihood that any of the guys I know will be buying me flowers, or getting them from me.

-----~~~~~-----

Sora sighed and leaned farther into her boyfriend's arms. "We should do something, Tai," she told him softly. He grunted against her neck to let her know that he was listening. His arms were around her, holding her in place on the couch as they snuggled together. "You do know what I'm talking about, right?" she asked, smiling slightly. She doubted that he had been following her train of thought.

"We have to find someone for Yama," he replied quietly, his voice sounding thick. His body was lax, and it was evident that he was on the verge of a nap. Sora didn't know whether to be offended that he could sleep with her company, or to be flattered that he could relax so completely while holding her. And since he -had- been paying attention, she chose the latter.

"Yes. He hates being single, you know. That's part of the reason he asked me out," she said softly, not wanting to rouse him too much. If he fell asleep, then he fell asleep, and she could just enjoy being with him, existing with him.

"He doesn't like being alone," Tai noted, nuzzling her hair. "Must be all those months of being a stubborn jerk who didn't want anyone else around." There was no rancor in his voice, and Sora knew that there were no hard feelings from that point in their lives.

"Yes, well," she said. "The problem then becomes: with whom do we set him up?"

There was no response, and she rolled her eyes, smiling at the thought that he'd fallen asleep so quickly. Then his arm tightened, and he rubbed his face against her shoulder. "I don't care who, but he can't have my sister."

-----~~~~~-----

__

I really just want to run away today. It's such a tiring, time-consuming waste, sitting here and dreading the simple act of opening the door. Except that, today, every time there's a knock, it's another girl, waiting to heal my empty heart. I am neither 'broken', nor lonely, and I can't bring myself to appreciate the thought. 

I considered calling Tai or Sora, to see what they were doing. Then I remembered them leaving school together, and that it's only their second day together, and I set the phone back down. No need to bother them, or interfere. I'm sure that there's some kind of documentation of a study that proves that the first week of a relationship is crucial.

That leaves me with nothing to do. The band isn't playing right now. We're down to a broken hand, a drummer that's several -countries- away, and a lead singer with more angst than he cares to sing about at the present moment.

My life is a soap opera, and I am becoming more dissatisfied every second that it brings me closer and closer to the end of this day. The end of this day means the start of tomorrow, and that leaves only six more days.

Six more days of watching couples bond, couples form, couples cuddle and kiss and coo. I need something more to do than moping. Maybe I -will- give someone a call. I wonder what Jyou is up to? Or maybe Koushiro? Hell, I'd take 'em both at one time right now.

…That didn't quite come out the way it was supposed to.

-----~~~~~-----

"That was Hikari," Tai told Sora, hanging the phone up and turning around. "She said that some of the younger kids are getting together at the mall, and she wanted to know if we'd care to join them. She's calling everyone else."

"You told her we would, right?" Sora asked, just to make sure. She was already gathering her bag and belongings. If they were heading to the mall, she could drop everything off at her house, and not have to worry about coming back for it after.

Tai nodded. "Yeah. It'll be more interesting for you, instead of me falling asleep on the couch." He grinned at her, looking apologetic and adorable at the same time. She smiled, patting his cheek as she passed by.

"You're okay, Taichi Yagami."

"Ah, you're just saying that," he teased with mock-bashfulness. They laughed together as the pulled their shoes on.

He took her bag from her, and slipped it over his shoulder, then held her coat as she slipped it on. When they were both ready, and dressed for the weather, they headed off, taking a path that would run them past her apartment.

It wasn't until they were entering the mall that he remembered the conversation they were having before his sister called.

"What was that you were saying about setting Yama up?" he asked. She looked at him, blinked in confusion, and then nodded as her mind drifted back to that topic.

"I think it'd be a great idea, especially at this time of year. Except, there is a slight problem," she said hesitantly. She stopped when she saw everyone else waiting for them by the fountain. 

"Problem?" asked Tai, feeling more confused than normal.

She nodded. "See, we can't set him up with just any girl, because I don't think Yamato wants any girl."

"Huh?" He wasn't getting it.

She sighed. "He doesn't want -any- girl. Give him a guy, and he'd be happy?" she said it questioningly, smiling hopefully as she waited for his response. He wouldn't freak out. At least, she didn't think he would.

He thought about it for a moment, and then his face fell, and he looked at her with a worried expression. "It's not me, is it? Isn't it always supposed to be the best friend?"

She shook her head, her smile tinged with relief. "I don't think so. I don't know for certain, but…" She shrugged.

Tai nodded, then turned to look at the assembled group, his eyes searching for and finding Yamato quickly. Sora's smile faded when she saw a smirk start to light his face, but he was striding forward before she could ask him what he was up to.

The blonde watched as his best friend approached, noting the grin on his face with a small feeling of apprehension. That look was never good for anyone, and Tai was headed straight for him.

He opened his mouth to greet the brunette, but Tai never stopped to return the greeting. Instead, Tai forced Yamato back a step, his hands moving up to cup the blond's face mere seconds before he pressed a kissed to the startled teen's lips. It was quick, and close-mouthed, and everyone was left staring when Tai pulled away.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tai asked, narrowing his eyes. "All this time, and you -had- to know, and you never said anything?"

"Tai?" Yamato said, still feeling stunned. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "What are you talking about?"

"You're gay, and you never told me!" Tai accused, his voice loud enough to garner attention from innocent bystanders. "And you wasted all this time that I could have been with Sora, you jerk!" He let go of his friend, stepping back to give him room. 

Yamato sighed, bringing his hands up so that he could hide his face in them. The rest of the group was silent, a fact for which he was very grateful. He didn't know what he'd do or say if they started asking questions all at once, as they tended to do.


	2. February 8th

Author: Rae

Title: Indulging the Heart

Rating/summary/notes in the first part

-----~~~~~-----

__

February 8th 

Where do I even begin to describe yesterday? Maybe I should start with the day before and bring everything up to speed?

Chronological order.

The 6th

1) Broke up with Sora/was broken up with by Sora

2) Realized that I was gay

3) Tai and Sora started going out

The 7th

4) Suffered the multitude of sympathy-givers, and survived the home visitations of such

5) Was invited to the mall to have a fun time

6) Was 'out'ed in mall by best friend, in front of strangers, friends, and…everyone.

7) Was pulled aside by Sora, who apologized, and Tai, who asked if 'it' was him.

8) Had to inform them both that I wasn't lusting after my ex's boyfriend…or my ex.

9) Promised Tai that I wasn't after his sibling

10) Had to promise him that I wasn't after mine

11) Got into a fist fight with Tai over pervertedness

12) Left mall with a rip in my new shirt and a promise (that sounded like a threat) from some of the gang to come visit today

I am really not looking forward to that 'visit'. I have no idea who's really coming over, and I still haven't figured out -why-. I don't remember mentioning needing help with anything, or offering to help with anything, and I can't imagine why they'd want to come here. We can hang out any place, why my apartment?

And I've been trying to block it from my mind, but I keep picturing the look of shock on Takeru's face yesterday. He didn't say anything, and with my little brother, that's not really a good sign. I don't know what to think, or what he's thinking, or what I should be thinking about what he's thinking.

It's all a hopelessly confused mess. I had hoped to make it through this week, but it's a possibility that I won't make it through this day. I just hope that my dad doesn't come home and demand to know what's going on. I can just imagine the gang's excuse. "Yamato's gay, and we're here as his support group?" or "Yamato's gay, we're here to talk him back to sanity?"

I don't think either of those would really work. What I really need right now is to go back in time to the sixth, and keep me and Sora from breaking up. Even if it's for another week. 

I got really depressed last night, thinking about this week, and what I was doing last year at this time, and the year before. And it makes me sick to think exactly how much I've been using Sora. 

And then I'm happy that we're through, because she's happy, and…Well, I'm 'out'. That's a step farther than I was this time yesterday.

I still don't know why Tai kissed me, except that he's a stupid jerk. Heh. There's a thought. I've kissed both sides of that boy-girl relationship. Sora was better.

-----~~~~~-----

Takeru looked nervously at his brother's door, as if he expected it to open suddenly to reveal some big surprise. His companions were a little confused by his attitude. To them, it should have been easy; Yamato was Yamato, and it was okay if he liked guys. No big deal, nothing to cause such hesitance in their young blond friend.

Finally, feeling frustrated and a little less than amused by Takeru's attitude, Daisuke shoved him out of the way and rang the bell, then turned his head to look at the blond. "Don't be a dork, Takimi [1]."

The door opened, and Takeru wasn't given a chance to retort before he was faced with his brother. Even though Daisuke was the one standing in the door, Yamato's gaze went directly to his brother.

Returning the favor from a moment before, Takeru pushed Daisuke aside, and then took a step forward and embraced his brother. "Sorry I didn't say anything yesterday," he murmured, smiling slightly when his brother returned the hug. Yamato squeezed him once, gently, and Takeru knew that he was forgiven for whatever thoughts or doubts he might have had.

The group, which consisted of Sora, Tai, Daisuke, Takeru, and Hikari, filed into the Ishida apartment. Shoes were deposited at the door, and Yamato went to get something for everyone to drink. Sora, from habit and a desire to help, followed him into the kitchen and let him load cups into her waiting arms.

Tai leaned against the wall, smiling at them. Yamato raised an eyebrow at him as he walked back into the living room, but Tai simply shrugged innocently, and the blond rolled his eyes.

"So, what brings you all to my humble home?" Yamato asked as he set a pitcher of tea on the low table in the middle of the living room. No one answered him, and he looked at each of them before turning back to Tai and Sora. "Anyone?"

"We love you, Yamato," Tai started, sidling up and wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "And we don't want you to be a lonely dork, so…" he trailed off, looking at his girlfriend.

Sora sighed, shaking her head. "So, we thought we'd see about finding you someone."

"'Someone'?" Yamato said questioningly, his face impassive. Tai and Sora looked at each other, and then nodded together. Someone snickered, and everyone turned to look at Daisuke, who was smothering laughter behind his hand. "What's so funny, Motomiya?"

The auburn-haired teen grinned, looking up unrepentantly. "My sister isn't on your list," he said, smugness evident in his tone and expression. "But I am."

Yamato sighed, his shoulders drooping. However, he couldn't help but smile a bit. 

-----~~~~~-----

__

It was very tempting to inform them all that if I wanted_ their help, I would have _asked_ for it…but that wouldn't have been nice, and they all seemed very excited at the prospect of hooking me up._

I can't help but feel less than optimistic.

I think I have faith in Sora and Hikari. Being the intuitive females that they are, I'm sure that they'll be able to weed out the more unlikely of my prospects. However, and this is where I'm getting the cloud that says 'DOOM' following me around, Taichi and Daisuke seem to have taken the lead in this whole show. 

Out of everyone, they seem to be the most determined. Or maybe it's just that when they both start something, they take it over and make it -their- 'thing'. Sora, Hikari, and Takeru are all so used to letting them lead that they've already taken a more supportive role, and it's only been yesterday, that they decided all of this.

Tai split them up into 'teams' shortly before they left. It seems that I lacked something as a boyfriend, if their plan is anything to go by. It makes me wonder how much Sora actually had to put up with me, as compared to just being with me. 

It's been a long time since I've seen her so relaxed, so comfortable just sitting around and letting us all talk. When I look back now, I see a kind of strain on her shoulders, and it seems now that she was always trying to stay right in the midst of things. I wonder who put that stress on her? Did I do it, inadvertently? Or was it something she did herself, to ensure that she was always a part of it?

I don't like what that brings me to next…and I don't think I'll dwell on it right now. I'm supposed to be getting dancing lessons tonight. Three years with a girlfriend, and I never learned, and suddenly I'm gay, and it's something I'm required to know.

Dancing lessons, and from my ex-girlfriend, no less.

-----~~~~~-----

"What's the matter, Yamato?" Sora asked as she pushed play on the radio. It was just them in the apartment. Mr. Ishida wasn't due back until later that evening, and Tai had opted out of their little session. His only comment had been a wink and a statement of trust.

"I'm never going to be able to use this, unless I actually -go- on a date. It's not like there will be a chance for me to use this before then, and even then…" He shrugged.

"You can't see using your dancing skills?" she suggested with a smile. She shrugged as well. "You may be surprised, you know. You might wind up with a partner that likes to go dancing."

He shook his head. "Where in this city would two guys go to dance with each other? Which reminds me," he stared at her with narrow eyes. "Who came up with the realization that I was gay? And why did your boyfriend kiss me?"

She laughed, coming to stand in front of him as the music continued to pour out of the radio.. "I was the one with the suspicion, though I wasn't absolutely certain. And Tai kissed you because…to him, it was the easiest way to show that he was cool with it. Remember, his philosophy in life is to act first, suffer the consequences, and after that, think it through."

They both laughed. In the background, the second song came on, and Sora held her arms up. 

"Okay, you put your hands here…and here…"

A short while later, Sora moved to change cassettes in the tape player, and Yamato went to answer the door. Taichi was standing in the hall, grinning and holding a paper bag. "Tai," Yamato greeted, holding the door open.

"Yama!" the brunette cried happily. He reached around and squeezed Yamato's shoulders as he entered the apartment. "Where's my girl?" he asked, already heading towards the living room, kicking his shoes off without thinking about it.

"I thought you weren't going to be here," Matt commented, following behind his friend.

Tai threw him a look over his shoulder and shrugged. "Not for the first part. Sora can teach you all about dancing with a girl on her own, ya know?" He grinned when he saw his girlfriend. He pressed the bag against Yamato's chest without looking at him, and then moved forward to pull Sora into a hug, spinning her once before kissing her cheek and setting her down.

Yamato sniffed the bag, then opened it and looked inside. "Thanks for bringing dinner," he said wryly. He went into the kitchen to get utensils to eat with, and Tai took the time to greet his girlfriend properly.

They settled in the living room to eat, Yamato taking the chair so that Tai and Sora could have the couch together. They sat apart, leaving space between them, and Yamato realized that they were doing it so that he wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

With a roll of his eyes, he stood up, and went to sit next to Tai. Still eating his food and acting nonchalant, he moved closer, shoving Tai over a bit. They both looked at him, and he nudged Tai with his arm, silently telling him to move over some more. He complied, and when Yamato was satisfied that they were sitting close enough together, he stood up and went back to his chair.

Tai still looked confused, but Sora smiled and leaned against him, winking at Yamato. When the food was gone, they threw the bag and the take out containers away, and Sora went to put the music back on.

"So, am I going to learn a new dance?" Yamato asked, standing ready in the middle of the room. Tai grinned at him. "I don't trust that look," the blond said as he watched his best friend come closer.

"Oh, don't be such a wuss, Yamato. I'm just going to teach you how to follow now." Blue eyes widened in surprise, but Yamato didn't argue as Tai placed Yamato's hands in the appropriate places. "This hand goes here…and this one goes here…"

-----~~~~~-----

[1] We all know that in the U.S. dub, 'Davis' has a real problem saying Takeru's name. Well, there was a question once about how exactly he would have screwed it up in the Japanese. 'Takimi' is derived from 'Takaishi'. Any other derivations are probably meant as insults as well, but I won't be marking it after this point.


	3. February 9th

Author: Rae

Title: Indulging the Heart

Rating/summary/notes in the first part

-----~~~~~-----

__

February 9th,

I learned how to dance. Yay for me. I can now lead and follow, and I guess it makes more sense to learn to do both than to learn to lead only to find out that my partner can't follow. Although, I'm still trying to figure out where Tai learned to dance.

Today marks five days until V-day, and I'm not in any better of a mood. I think I get a day off after dancing lessons, because neither Tai nor Sora mentioned anyone coming over today. I briefly considered calling the guys together for a band practice, but I decided against it.

Instead, I decided to write down the dream I had the other night. I'll tell Sora about it later, and see what she thinks. With things the way they are right now, I know that some things are guaranteed to stay untrue, but I'm curious about some of the rest of it.

No, on second thought, I think I'll keep it to myself. It was just a dream, not some sort of prophetic vision. There's nothing there that can hurt me.

I will not marry Sora, I will not be an astronaut. My brother may become a writer, but I think he's more likely to be a business man or a teacher, or something similarly people-oriented.

As for the rest? Well, they can make and choose their own lives. 

And that brings me back to me, I guess. Where am I now? I'm single, out, and I can dance.

You know, this really shouldn't be that hard. I've had girls falling all over themselves to date me, why shouldn't I be able to find some great guy? I've got the looks, I'm a nice enough guy. There has to be someone out there just waiting for me.

I will find him. And even if I don't find him before the fourteenth, that's okay. Because…really, it's just a holiday, right? It doesn't mean anything. I don't want it to mean anything, because I know I'm going to be spending it alone.

Christmas depression holds nothing on Valentine's Day drama. And I…well, I'm a queen, hm? In more ways than one.

-----~~~~~-----

"Dude, if your brother's gay, does that mean you have a higher chance of being gay, too?" Daisuke asked. Takeru gave him a dirty look, and opened his mouth to respond, but Ken saved Daisuke from a tongue-lashing.

"No, Daisuke. There is no proof that it runs through geneology."

"But people are born gay, right? Which means that it's something biological?" the auburn-haired boy.

Miyako sighed, and then hit Daisuke on the back of the head. "We're not having a nature versus nurture conversation. Yamato's gay, Takeru can be whatever he wants to be, and you…" she narrowed her eyes as she paused. "You, are just an idiot."

Hikari laughed, and put an arm around Miyako's shoulders. "You're supposed to be nice to him today, remember?" The purple-haired girl sighed and rolled her eyes. Daisuke shrugged to show that he wasn't affected by her words.

"Hey, Daisuke?" Takeru asked questioningly. He'd been silent up to this point, letting the others talk around him, but now he was the one speaking. Brown eyes turned to the young blond. "Are you interested in my brother?"

There was silence for a while. Daisuke's jaw dropped, Iori choked on his drink, Hikari tittered nervously. Miyako and Ken stared at Daisuke silently, waiting. Finally, Daisuke shrugged. "Why?"

"Because you made a point of saying that you were 'on the list'. I just wondered what you meant." The blond spoke calmly, his voice not hinting at his emotions. 

"Um, well," Daisuke rubbed the back of his head in a nervous gesture. "I was just rubbing it in about Jun, really. Because she still doesn't have a chance, ya know? I didn't really -mean- anything by it."

Blue eyes stared into brown for several more seconds, and then Takeru nodded thoughtfully. "I thought your sister was over him, anyway?" he said questioningly, breaking eye contact.

"Well, yeah, she is. She's got a boyfriend, and everything. It's just…I don't know. It was a stupid comment, right?" he shrugged again, looking more uncomfortable every passing second, even though Takeru seemed to be losing interest in their conversation.

Seemed to be. Blue eyes looked sharply back at Daisuke. "You like him, don't you?" Everyone looked at Daisuke again, and he blushed, opening his mouth to respond. No words came out and he shrugged helplessly.

"Congratulations, Takeru. You've done the impossible; made Daisuke speechless," Ken said quietly. He waved a hand in front of Daisuke's face, but the auburn-haired teen ignored it as he finally shut his mouth and slouched, hiding his face in his hands.

"So, Daisuke has a crush on Yamato. Interesting. Is he going to be a jerk, and make sure that we can't set him up? Or is he going to try to win him himself?" Miyako asked to the world at large.

Surprisingly, it was Daisuke who scoffed and answered. "You're kidding me, right? Like I have a chance? I have done nothing since the day I met him but embarrass myself in front of him. I've said so many stupid things, acted like an idiot so many times…I'm surprised sometimes that he even calls me 'friend'. Do you really think I'd waste my time trying to get him to see me as anything else?"

Nobody bothered to argue with his logic, but Takeru had a speculative look on his face.

-----~~~~~-----

__

My brother and I drifted even further apart sometime after the Digital World. I'm referring to the second time. He proved during our first adventure that he didn't need me, and that fact was pounded home the second time he went, and I was forced to stand on the sidelines and watch him.

I'm afraid of him right now. Of what he's really thinking, feeling. He never used to be this good at emotional privacy, but suddenly, I can't read him at all, and I don't like that. Not one bit. 

Does he hate me? Do I disgust him? He hasn't said anything, and the other day, it seemed that…that he just might be okay with it. But he was supposed to come over this weekend, and I just realized that he never did. I'm sitting at home, alone, and he's nowhere around. I think…I think that I'm finally without a freaking clue.

I almost called him, just as I almost called the band, and just as I almost called Koushiro and Jyou to see if I could visit with them. I have this restless feeling, and I know that it's just because I don't want to be alone.

I am not insecure, or weak, or anything like that, either. I'm just…very human. It is human to desire companionship, and I think it's pretty easy to see that my dad isn't home enough to count for that. The last time we sat down and had a conversation was at breakfast this morning. I told him about my dancing lessons last night…and he asked me if I was in love with Tai.

That's something that kind of bugs me. It seems like it's okay if I'm gay, but suddenly, if I'm gay, then it must be Tai, right? Because there is so much chemistry, and so much in common, and we're best friends, and we're so cute together…

Alright, I've thought about the two of us, too. Quite a lot in the past three days, actually. And I've come to a conclusion: We would have killed each other. I need someone that I can be in control with, someone that I can be…Gah, I need to be seme! That's all there is to it! I may like guys, yes, but I need a guy that will let -me- be the man!

And that sounds just so very wrong, compared to what I want.

I need someone who can get me out of my funk, someone who can stand to be around me when I'm in a funk. I need someone loyal, someone who's been around long enough to know me and some of my history.

In short, I need the male version of Sora, and I really don't see that happening.

-----~~~~~-----

"I didn't expect you to come over," Yamato stated honestly, watching as his brother took his shoes off. "What's up, little brother?"

Takeru shrugged, moving through to the kitchen. His face was pensive, and there was tension in the lines of his body. Yamato followed him, leaning against the frame of the doorway, his eyes steady.

"Did you tell mom?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.

"No. I figured that you could tell her," the younger blond answered, turning around with a soda pop can in hand. "Did you tell dad?"

"Yeah. This morning. Told him about my dancing lessons. He seemed okay with it."

"Is it Tai?" Takeru asked, his eyes on his brother's face. 

Yamato rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No. No, it's not Tai. I can't really imagine the two of us in a loving relationship, you know? Besides the fact that he and Sora are in love with each other, we're just too set in our paths to be anything more than friends."

"Do you really think you'll find someone to date by the fourteenth?" Was the next question. Yamato paused, then shook his head.

"No. I don't see that happening. Not enough time to get to know someone, you know? Sure, I hang with the guys in the band, and there are a couple that I actually talk to at school, but my entire social life consists of Tai, Sora, and you."

"There's always one of the destined," Takeru pointed out. His face was still stiff, still impassive, and Yamato sighed.

"What's the matter, Takeru? What's bothering you?" he asked. He was surprised to see Takeru's eyes fill with tears, and in the next moment, Yamato's arms were wrapped around his brother as he cried into his shirt.

He listened and caught the soft, tear-filled mumblings that came from his brother's mouth, and he tightened his arms, holding him close and whispering words of comfort. 

-----~~~~~-----

__

I drove Takeru to Daisuke's house an hour ago, because that's where he'd asked to go. It makes me wonder exactly what their relationship is now.

I didn't pry. It's enough that I know that he's gay, and that he knows that I'm okay with that. For the past couple of days, I'd been afraid of actually finding out what he thought of me liking guys, and then I find out that -he- was the one who had a crush on Tai, even if he's grown out of that's stage. 

He didn't tell me if he liked anyone now, but he did make it clear that he was over the crush he'd once had on my best friend. I didn't mind that he liked Tai, but I was worried about how he would feel now that Tai, for the first time, was 'taken'. After his initial burst of crying, he seemed okay.

My little brother…it seems so strange. Out of all the things that he have in common, and out of all our little differences, I find it so odd that this would be something we share. The only thing that bothers me is the fact that he knew his own feelings long before I even bothered to look at mine. I know I tend to get absorbed in other things, but I didn't realize that I was -that- out of touch with myself.

I'm ashamed that he had to worry about my reaction. I guess that I fooled a lot more people than just myself by going out with Sora for three years. I don't know when I gave him the impression that I'd mind it if he dated other guys, but I can't blame him for jumping to that conclusion. I've been doing the same exact thing.

-----~~~~~-----

Yamato smiled at his mother, then continued eating. He had called her after a couple of hours of thinking at home, and she had invited him over to eat to replace Takeru who was 'visiting one of his friends and won't be home'. The older blond had decided to take advantage of the offer.

He was actually more calm than he would have suspected. Their mother was the person who had stood by through all of their adventures and misadventures. She had placed her trust in them long ago that they would do what was best for themselves. His mind was very happy to believe that she'd accept them with an open-heart and open arms.

Dinner was finished before he'd managed to bring the subject up, and as he helped her clear away dishes, he realized that there wasn't going to be another opportunity where he felt quite as confident.

"I'm gay," Yamato announced to the kitchen at large. His mother was standing at the sink, her back to him as she rinsed their plates, and he was standing behind her, hanging onto the bowls with clenched fists. "Takeru is, too."

It probably wasn't the best way to make such an announcement. The tensing of her shoulders was her only reaction for several moments, and then she turned to look at him, her brows drawn together in a frown. Their eyes met, and he could see the same eyes that his brother had inherited staring back at him.

Before he could say anything more, she moved forward and folded him into a hug. "This makes you both happy?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt.

His arms came up to hug her back, and he pressed his cheek against the top of her head. "I don't know about me yet, but Takeru seems happy with it." At least, he was going to make sure that his brother found a reason to be happy about it. He drew in a breath. "I didn't even realize it until Sora and I broke up," he admitted quietly. 

His mother chuckled softly, and pulled back to look up at him, her eyes and lips both smiling. "As long as you boys are happy, I'm happy. Just realize that dating guys still has the same rules as dating girls. You will have a curfew, you will not get him pregnant unless you're ready to marry him, and you will not marry him without us meeting him first. Understood?"

He laughed, smiling down at her with a relieved expression. "Tell Takeru that the first chance you get, please?" he asked, his smile turning into a grin.


	4. February 10th

Author: Rae

Title: Indulging the Heart

Rating/summary/notes in the first part

-----~~~~~------

__

February 10th,

Today, I'm thinking that life is pretty good…and I'm wondering why it took me so long to get this far.

My friends know I'm gay, my family knows. As soon as the fan girls know and leave me alone, I think I'll be a much happier person.

At this point in time, I don't have a care in the world, and I can't imagine it getting any better. Actually, that's not entirely the truth. I need new guitar strings and a band that can -play-, and barring that, I need something to keep me occupied today because I have nothing planned.

My apartment just does not harbor fun things. Taichi has a bunch of video games that are at least marginally amusing. Sora's house was always fun…but I think that's because I was always there with her. 

I'm starting to wonder if I don't have abandonment issues. I can choose to be by myself, and I'm normally fine. However, when forced into isolation from the rest of my friends, I do nothing but dwell on the fact that I'm alone.

Okay, skip this. I'm going to the store to find guitar strings. No reason to get out of practice just because I don't have a band right now to play with.

-----~~~~~-----

Yamato was surprised when the doorbell rang shortly after he got home. His surprise settled into a puddle of confusion when Daisuke calmly walked into his apartment and introduced himself as 'your fashion coordinator for the day.' He was obviously talking to Yamato, as there was no one else around, but it took the blond a few seconds for the words to sink in and leave a mark.

"You're supposed to help me dress?" Yamato asked skeptically, watching the top of Daisuke's head as he took off his shoes. Brown eyes looked up through a fringe of hair, one brow quirked.

"You don't trust my fashion sense?" Daisuke asked, standing up straight. Yamato smiled slightly, his eyes scanning Daisuke's feet once before he turned around.

"I'll trust your 'fashion sense' when you can match your socks." Daisuke rolled his eyes, mocking the older teen behind his back. He stopped when he realized that Yamato had turned around and was watching him.

Daisuke narrowed his eyes. "You know what? For being mean, you're going to have to feed me, now."

"There isn't enough food in this building to feed you, Daisuke," the blond retorted, heading into the kitchen.

"Of course not. Tai visited yesterday. I'm surprised you have anything left," the auburn-haired teen was quick with his comeback, and Yamato smiled at him. "Anyway," he dragged the word out, grinning back. "I have some questions for you."

Yamato sighed and turned away to find something in the fridge to feed his guest. When Daisuke didn't start asking immediately, he looked over the door of the fridge, and found that the other boy was watching him. "What?" he finally asked.

"When did you realize that you were gay?" Daisuke asked. Yamato raised an eyebrow; he had expected Daisuke to play around the subject, not approach it directly. Of course, he should have known better. Daisuke must have inherited his lack of tact from Tai's goggles.

"About the time Sora and I broke up," he answered, shrugging. He turned his attention back to the contents of the fridge. "And before you ask, I don't know why. It just…never occurred to me before that, I guess. I had a girlfriend, I didn't have to look at -anyone-."

The redhead made a considering sound, but didn't comment. Yamato pulled a bowl out of the fridge and shut the door. He handed the container to Daisuke, who took it with a grin. "You're not going to warm it up for me?"

"Warm it up yourself," the blond instructed, giving Daisuke a long-suffering look. 

"Fine, be that way," Daisuke muttered, stalking past the blond to heat his food in the microwave. "You're a really bad host, you know that?'

"We're even, then. You're a horrible guest."

Daisuke stuck his tongue out at the blond. "Jerk."

"Just eat your food, Daisuke." He watched as Daisuke pushed the buttons that started the microwave. He was nice enough to get the auburn-haired boy a spoon, but he made Daisuke remove the heated bowl himself.

He went to his bedroom while Daisuke ate, and he opened his closet. There weren't many outfits that he considered possibly embarrassing, but he knew that if they were in there, Daisuke would find them. 

Satisfied that there were no clothes that he wouldn't be willing to wear, he wandered back into the kitchen in time to see Daisuke rinsing his bowl out in the sink. "Someone trained you well," he said with a smile.

Daisuke set the bowl beside the sink and turned around. He nudged Yamato's side as he passed him on the way to the blond's room. "Be that way, and I'll dress you ugly, man."

Yamato followed behind him and glared at his back. "Do it, and I will make sure that you suffer," the blond threatened. Daisuke laughed, not bothering to turn around as he walked straight towards the closet.

"Don't worry about it, dude. I could dress you ugly, and you'd still be drool worthy."

Yamato paused and processed that snippet for a moment before asking, "And why am I supposed to expect you to know that?" 

"Because when it comes to you, I am the -master judge- of sexiness."

Yamato sighed. "Never mind," he said with a roll of his eyes. He should have known that Daisuke wouldn't be serious about it.

The younger teen turned away from the closet, his expression serious as he focused on Yamato's face. "When it comes to you, there is very little that you can wear that doesn't make you look wonderful," he said sincerely. Then he smiled and winked. "But we don't want wonderful, we want you to be irresistible."

They stared at each other, and slowly, the blond tilted his head, his voice lowering. "And how are you supposed to judge when I'm irresistible?"

"Easy!" Daisuke said with an arrogant grin. "When I can't control myself any longer and I jump you, you'll be perfect." He turned and went back to the closet, continuing his destruction of Yamato's orderly room as the blond stared at his back. 

If Daisuke's eyes hadn't been so serious, his voice so sincere for that one moment, Yamato could have shrugged it off as a joke, but he'd felt the words go straight through him, and he couldn't help but stare at Daisuke as the auburn-haired boy turned back around.

"Okay, put this on." He tossed a black silk shirt at Yamato, who caught it easily. While the blond changed shirts, Daisuke turned back to the closet, digging out a pair of black pants that seemed to have as much shine as the shirt did. "And these," he instructed, tossing the material over his shoulder without looking to see if it found its target.

A moment later, Yamato finished with the snap on the pants. "Okay, I'm dressed," he said. Daisuke turned around, his face unsmiling. He frowned.

"Can you move in that?" he asked the blond, coming to stand in front of Yamato.

"Kind of," Yamato admitted, rolling his shoulders a bit. The material was snug, and he didn't feel comfortable moving too much. "I don't know how much mobility I'd have in this getup."

"Hm," Daisuke murmured consideringly. "If you're on a date, and you like this guy, and you can't like..." He shrugged. "You can't hug and kiss him if you can't get your arms around him comfortably."

Yamato sighed. "And how am I supposed to know if it's comfortable?"

"With the Hug test, of course!" Daisuke cried. Yamato blinked, but didn't have time to react before Daisuke had embraced him. "Hug me!" Daisuke commanded, leaning back and looking up with an infectious grin.

With a laugh, the blond tried to peel the boisterous teen out of his arms, but to no avail. Finally giving in, Yamato wrapped his arms around Daisuke and hugged him close. The material on his shirt pulled, and he winced. "This is not a hugging shirt," he commented decidedly.

Daisuke released him then, offering Yamato a shy smile. Then he walked around the room until he found another shirt. "Next!" he called with a grin, tossing that shirt to Yamato. Again, the blond changed shirts, keeping on the shiny black pants. His eyes stayed on the auburn-haired teen as he changed, watching as Daisuke toed some more of his clothes aside. His friend was definitely insane. To be honest, Yamato was starting to think that he was a little bit cute, too. He smiled, deciding that it couldn't hurt to play along.

Daisuke turned away once more, and only turned back to look when Yamato said that he was ready. Almost instantly, the blond found Daisuke in his arms again, and he laughed and embraced the shorter teen easily.

It ripped in the shoulder, and Daisuke laughed. "You really need to buy new clothes. How long have these things been sitting in the back of your closet?"

His arms still around the auburn-haired boy, Yamato shrugged, ignoring gap in the material over his shoulder. "It's been awhile. I've fallen into the habit of wearing loose shirts and pants," he admitted.

"Mm," Daisuke made a considering sound, resting his head on Yamato's shoulder. "I've got it!" he exclaimed suddenly, pulling away and rushing back to the closet. A white shirt floated out onto the floor, and Yamato picked it up.

Daisuke came away from closet as Yamato was slipping the newest shirt over his head, and for the first time he stopped to watch the blond finish dressing.

"Hug test?" Yamato questioned, opening his arms. Daisuke grinned and laughed, and soon found himself pressed once again against the blond. Feeling more nervous than he let on, Yamato asked jokingly, "Now, how do we test the pants?" 

That earned him a laugh that shook Daisuke's entire frame. "We dance, of course!"

Yamato nodded; it seemed like a fine time to put his new-found dancing skills to use. 

"Okay. Lead or follow?"

Daisuke snorted. "I have no idea what you're talking about. We dance like this." And he pulled away from Yamato and started jumping in place, his arms waving in rhythm with music that only the younger boy could hear.

The blond laughed, shaking his head as Daisuke bounced around his room. He was slightly disappointed that Daisuke's idea of dancing hadn't matched his, but relieved, as well. His emotions were starting to morph on him, and he didn't know what he would have done if he'd managed to get Daisuke into his arms. It was better that he not have a chance to find out quite so soon, he decided.

The auburn-haired teen finally stopped, putting his hands on his hips while the blond continued to laugh at him. When the laughter stopped as well, he slung a companionable arm over Daisuke's shoulder. "You know what? You may be a dork, but you're a wonderful friend, Dai." To emphasize his point, he ruffled his fingers through Daisuke's hair, his hand lingering just a bit longer than was necessary. Then he let go and punched the boy lightly on the shoulder. "For all of that, I'll make you dinner."

"Thanks," the younger boy said happily. His face was slightly flushed, his eyes sparkling. 

For Daisuke, it was worth the sacrifice to his pride to see his friend smile, and he'd be willing to make a fool of himself again for the same results. It didn't hurt to have been in Yamato's arms for those all too brief seconds, either.

-----~~~~~-----

__

During dinner, I finally got around to asking Daisuke what he and Takeru had talked about yesterday when I dropped my brother off. It seems that Takeru went from having a crush on my best friend to having one on Daisuke's jogress partner. It seems that Takeru has a crush on Ken, but has been keeping quiet out of fear. He really wanted to be close to Ken, but he was scared for a lot of different reasons. First, he was afraid of Ken's reaction... of what would happen if he did something stupid or revealed his affections too soon. Second, he was scared of my reaction should I find out. And third, he was afraid of how our mother would take the news

It's not right that my brother, Holder of Hope, should have so little hope himself. There are times that I wonder if he isn't more depressed than I am in an average day. If he is, he's learned to hide it a lot better than I did. Depression's harder to see in a smile than it is in a frown.

I also found out that Hikari is looking towards the States for love, since my brother is now out of her arena. I haven't met this Wallace, or Willis (I can't remember what Daisuke said his name is), but from what I hear, he's a good enough kid. Of course, I got that from Daisuke, and we'll have to wait and see how true his assessment is.

Then again, I think I'll trust Daisuke's word. He's a smart kid, and he has good instincts. He's a lot better judge of character than I think even he'd give himself credit for. Of course, there are times that his stubbornness may get in the way of his judgement…despite all his flaws and faults, though, he's a good kid.

I'd like to say that I was the image of dignity during his visit, but about the third time he did laps around my room, (after I made the mistake of feeding him something with a high carbohydrate count), I ended up being pulled into his antics.

It was nice, being a child again, even if it didn't last more than a few minutes. Daisuke has a way of bringing out the immature in people. I'm not sure whether it's a positive or negative thing, but after today…I think I'll just say that it was okay. 

Before he left, Daisuke suggested that I give Takeru a call tonight. I was a little irked that Daisuke was telling me how to be a brother, but he had a point so I didn't yell at him for it. It took him ten minutes between the time that he said he was leaving to the time that he left. For some odd reason, half of that time was spent tying, untying, and retying his shoes. The other half was spent in reminding me about our shopping trip tomorrow; apparently, jumping around in the pair I was wearing earlier caused the seams to tear…the seams that happened to be right over the crotch of the material. and telling me to call my brother. I called him a dork, tied his show, put his coat into his hands, and shoved him gently into the hallway. 

After he left, I phoned Takeru and we had a good long talk. He's not 100% confident, but at least now he can stop worrying about me and mom. I hope everything works out for him. He deserves to be happy. I wonder if it's possible to set him up with Ken before Valentine's day? Daisuke would help…I'll have to ask him tomorrow. 

-----~~~~~-----

"How did it go?" Ken asked softly, sitting in his computer chair. On his bed, Daisuke grunted, pressing his face further into the mattress. "That bad, huh?"

"Worse. Things were going great, except that he said I was a dork. Twice" Daisuke muttered. He finally turned his face so that he could look at his best friend. "And it's worse than that, because I was acting like one both times. I swear, Ken, I'm not half as stupid as I act sometimes."

"I know that," Ken said with a small, supportive smile. "You just have a tendency to let your energy get the better of you. It's not a bad thing; in fact, it's rather endearing. It's part of what makes -you- you."

Daisuke groaned. "Don't try to make me feel better. I trashed his room, practically threw myself at him, and then proceeded to prove that I have no shame by hopping around his room like a pogo-stick on crack."

"And what did he do in all of this?" Ken asked.

"He laughed, of course." Daisuke stopped frowning long enough to grin. "I even got him to dance with me."

"When you say dance…" Ken started slowly. "I take it you mean your type of dancing?" Their eyes met, and Daisuke's grin widened in embarrassment. Ken smiled and nodded, knowing his friend all too well. "Hence the reference to the toy on drugs. Daisuke…one of these days…someone you love will appreciate how wonderful you truly are," Ken finally said, trailing off with a smile. 

"It's too bad you've got a crush on Takamiya, huh?" Daisuke teased, rolling into a sitting position. "I have it on good authority that -he- has a crush on a certain soccer-playing genius."

Ken smiled gently at the thought. "Think so?"

"Out of the mouth of the batpig himself," affirmed the auburn-haired boy.

Ken looked at him oddly. "Patamon told you?"

"No, silly. Takichi did." Daisuke laughed. 

"Daisuke, sometimes, I wonder about you," Ken said, shaking his head. 

Daisuke shrugged. "I'm wondering something, too."

"What's that," Ken asked when the boy assumed a thoughtful expression.

"When are you going to feed me?"

I -will- be posting on V-day, no fear! FF.net will be down, but the latest part is available at my site. http://www.baseofoperation.org

Or, you can visit the page for the story itself: http://www.baseofoperation.org/raegan_indulgingheart.html


	5. February 11th

Author: Rae

Title: Indulging the Heart

Rating/summary/notes in the first part

-----~~~~~------

__

February 11th,

I woke up this morning with a box of chocolates at my door and a love note professing that the writer was my soul mate. The note is in the trash and the chocolate is in the fridge. If I'm feeling nice, I may share it with Daisuke when I see him later today. We're supposed to hit the mall this evening, which means that I have several hours of study time between now and then, and little ambition to accomplish anything.

Sora called to ask me how yesterday went. I told her that Daisuke was insane and that we were going shopping. That seemed to make her happy, for some unknown reason. I think I'm getting a little paranoid with -the day- drawing closer…

I now have this nagging suspicion that the names on their 'list' are going to be a bit more familiar than I had assumed at first. Daisuke, for example. Cute guy, known him for awhile. He just 'happens' to be chosen as my 'fashion coordinator?' And I can't forget how suggestive some of his comments and actions were yesterday. 'Hug-test?'

Guess I'll have to wait and see. I could be reading the situation wrong…though I doubt that. It's difficult to take it wrong when you're hugged and told you're drool worthy by a guy who knows that you're gay. However, Daisuke is still a friend, and jumping to conclusions only leads to problems and misunderstandings.

That said, I think Daisuke has a crush on me.

-----~~~~~-----

"Come on, Jun!" Daisuke said with exasperation. "All my homework is done, all my assignments are ready for school. Just give mom some stupid excuse, please?" 

Jun arched her eyebrow at him, then nodded. "Fine. I'll cover for you while you hit the mall. Just remember that you owe me one, okay? I'll tell mom you're studying over at Ken's, or something."

"You don't have to lie to her," her brother said, rolling his eyes. "Just let her know that I'm not trying to get out of chores or homework. Everything's done, I'm not getting into any trouble."

She smirked slightly, crossing her arms over her chest as she regarded him with narrow eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen you work so hard and so quickly. Who are you going on a hot date with that you actually got everything done in record time?"

A blush stole up his cheeks, and she knew that she'd gotten at least part of her assumption right. "Just make sure I don't get into trouble," Daisuke finally said, turning to go. He really didn't need his sister to know exactly who he was going to be going shopping with, even if he would have denied that it was 'date'.

"Have fun," she called out, heading to her own room. A moment later, Daisuke was out the door.

-----~~~~~-----

Out on the sidewalk at the base of Daisuke's building, Yamato had almost made it to the doors when a bundle of blue and gray whipped by him. He stopped, and turned around in time to see Daisuke come to a stop as well. "In a hurry?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. The auburn-haired teen turned and grinned at him, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

"We have to hurry," he said, breathing heavily. "There's a sale at this store that I like, and if we don't get there really soon, everything will be sold!"

"I thought we were going to find me pants?" Yamato asked, smiling at his friend's enthusiasm.

Daisuke rolled his eyes and put on his best 'listen-here' look. "I am -not- the crest of reliability. I'm friendship and courage, okay? I said shopping, and we're going shopping. We'll face the crazy people of the store, and have some bonding time, okay? Friendship and courage, right?" he said questing, his expression hopeful. "Please?"

Faced with the sweetly pleading expression on Daisuke's face, Yamato felt his breath hitch. After a moment, he feigned normality, smiling and shrugging. "It's fine by me. The toy store sounds better than the mall anyway."

The look of happy gratitude on Daisuke's face was enough to make him feel certain that he'd made the right choice. 

-----~~~~~-----

An hour later, Yamato was wondering what on the name of the planet made him think that shopping with Daisuke could be a safe experience.

As innocent as the toy store seemed as they entered, it didn't stay that way for long. They started off with Daisuke running straight back to the gaming section. They got there shortly before a rush of other customers and Daisuke had a chance to ask one of the clerks to get him the game that he wanted. Satisfied with his selection, Daisuke was willing to let Yamato pull him out of the gaming section in under ten minutes. That was until a twelve year old boy came up and grabbed the game out of his hands.

Yamato didn't know why the game was so important, it sounded rather lame to him. However, Daisuke freaked out when it was ripped from his grasp, and he started chasing the other kid. Feeling like the only sane person in a sanitarium, Yamato stayed put, watching as one immature teen chased down an immature child. And since the kid was pretty big for his age, it was hard to tell which was which.

They circled back to Yamato, and the kid threw the game into his arms. He caught it, expecting Daisuke to stop now that the kid had given up the game, but the auburn-haired teen, being typically unpredictable, continued to chase the kid.

Figuring that Daisuke would give up eventually, he headed for the front of the store where he could purchase the game in relative safety.. It didn't work, though. They passed him once while he was n line, and then they came around a second time. As they neared him, Daisuke launched himself into the air, and the kid turned and ducked, leaving Yamato right in Daisuke's flight path.

Yamato found himself lying beneath a fifteen-year-old teen who seemed to weigh quite a bit. They lay their in shock for a couple of minutes, and then Daisuke lifted his head. "You have the game?" he asked, his eyes bright. The blond grunted, trying to move the item that was still trapped between their bodies. "Thanks, Yamato," he said, a red flush tingeing his cheeks. He rolled off of the older teen and stood up. He reached down and grabbed the game, and then offered a hand to help pull the blond to his feet.

They ended up standing very close together, Daisuke looking up at Yamato, their hands still touching. Both swallowed hard as they both took a step back. After a second, Daisuke held the game up triumphantly, and grinned. "Got it!"

-----~~~~~-----

__

I think that the words 'never again' would have expressed my feelings about the time Daisuke started running rampant through the toystore. And the blush on my face after he helped me up -after- he crashed into me was enough to make me want to avoid that particular store for the rest of my life. The entire ordeal was embarrassing and childish. 

And despite the headache and the rip in my shirt, I want to do it all over again.

I have a couple of injuries that I'm not claiming, because they're in rather…interesting places.

However, we're both fine, nothing hurt too badly, and Daisuke got his game, which to him means that everything turned out fine.

We never did end up getting to the mall to find me pants, though. And right now, I couldn't care less about the pants.

-----~~~~~-----

Later that evening, long after Daisuke had run home to play his game and Yamato had looked after his assorted injuries, the blond waved his best friend inside, watching as Taichi toed his shoes off and went straight into the living room. 

"So, how was shopping with Daisuke?" was the first thing the brunette asked. He set the bag he was carrying on the table and started pulling out take-out food. 

"It was an experience. I was able to confirm that, yes, Daisuke -is- indeed insane, or at least incredibly immature at times," his voice was amused, a small smirk playing on his lips. He could have said a lot more, but Tai was already speaking, and Yamato let it go, not quite ready to repeat some of his more recent thoughts out loud.

"We already knew that," Tai said with a grin. "So, anything we should know before the fourteenth?"

The blond frowned. "What's the fourteenth?" he asked, feeling confused. 

"Valentine's Day!" exclaimed Tai with a grin. "Man, you -are- out of it. We'll have to stop letting you hang around with Daisuke if this is what happens. Anyway," his grin widened. "We've got it all set up. Daisuke and I found the perfect guy, and the girls picked a place to eat."

Yamato rolled his eyes. "And this guy agreed? To what, a blind date? Or a date with me?" he couldn't keep the apprehension from coloring his voice. There was a knot in his stomach, and it had less to do with his date than the thought that Daisuke helped set it up.

"He said he'd go on a date with you," Tai said, giving Yamato an odd look. He hadn't thought about Yamato's fame, or that it might attract the kind of guy that is friend -wasn't- looking for. After a moment, he pushed that thought aside. He knew the guy and his motivations; there was nothing to worry about, unless Yamato made a big deal out of it. "You're not going to have a problem with having dinner with this guy on Valentine's Day

A shrug was Yamato's initial answer and then he sighed. "This is your thing. I guess I wasn't really expecting you guys would pick someone out for me so quickly."

"It's not -that- quickly," Tai said defensively. "I mean, Sora and I have been dating for…" he trailed off, counting the days on his fingers. "For five days, and we've been talking about setting you up for…three?" He smiled slightly. "It is kind of sudden. But really, we have so little time."

"Tai, you make it sound more important than it really is. It's only a holiday, and a really boring one at that. Don't stress yourselves out trying to make me happy. You should be out with Sora right now, having dinner and getting to know each other better as boyfriend and girlfriend."

Tai shook his head. "We don't want you to be lonely, Yamato. You're tend to mope when there isn't someone around to slug you out of it."

The blond rolled his eyes at Taichi's comment and his odd word choice. "As I recall, I managed to survive this holiday before Sora and I started dating, you know." Yamato pointed out, feeling slightly exasperated. He was about ready to 'slug' Tai 'out of it', if the brunette didn't soon realize that he wasn't that emotionally weak.

"Yeah, and I also recall hanging out with you and pelting the stupid girls with their own chocolate. I'm getting too old to do stuff like that. Although," Tai admitted slyly. "It was fun." His smile turned quickly back to a frown. "And you're not getting any better about dealing with your feelings."

"I think I'm doing pretty well dealing with my feelings. I haven't given in to the urge to beat you up, yet," Yamato pointed out with a glare. "Seriously, Tai. We can go ahead with this date, but if nothing comes of it, I don't want you guys to be too disappointed. I'll be fine, and I'd really prefer it if you guys concentrated on your own relationships."

Tai gave him a searching look and they stared at each other for a full minute before the brunette finally shrugged. "I'm dropping the subject, but for the record, I'm spending every day between Valentine's Day and now with Sora. We don't have to do the date thing, though we probably will from time to time in the future." His voice changed to dreamy wistfulness. "I really just like being with her." 

Yamato watched as Tai closed his eyes, a happy smile curving his lips. His chest tightened, and he recognized the feeling of envy. That was what he wanted, the happy look, the feeling that the world was a beautiful place to be in. After a moment, he pushed the envy away and stood up silently.

"Where are you going?" Tai asked without opening his eyes. 

The blond smiled. "I'm going to bed, and you're either going home, or going to Sora's. I need my beauty sleep before tomorrow."

Tai stood up and grinned. "Yes, you do," he agreed brightly, ignoring the glare that Yamato sent his way. "I'll see you tomorrow. Did you and Daisuke work out an outfit, what with all of your adventures today?"

"No," Yamato said with a smile, shaking his head. "Don't worry, though. I've been dressing myself for several years now without assistance. I'm sure I'll manage."

"Hey, Daisuke volunteered. Who was -I- to tell him 'no'?" 

Yamato stopped. "Daisuke volunteered?" He frowned, not quite certain what to make of that.

"Yeah. He's really excited about all of this. He's the one that helped me go through the list that we drew up." Tai grinned, shrugging into his jacket.

"Hm." After a moment of thought, he forced a smile for Tai and a few minutes after that, shut the door behind his best friend. He headed to his room, shutting the lights off as he went. 

As he lay in bed a little while later, staring at his ceiling, his mind replayed the last couple of days. 

The last thing he remembered before dropping off to sleep was Daisuke three days ago, mentioning the list that he and Tai had drawn up. The last words he remembered the younger goggle boy saying on that day echoed through his mind, lulling him to sleep

'My sister isn't on your list…but I am…'

I -will- be posting on V-day, no fear! FF.net will be down, but the latest part is available at my site. http://www.baseofoperation.org

Or, you can visit the page for the story itself: http://www.baseofoperation.org/raegan_indulgingheart.html


	6. February 12th

Author: Rae

Title: Indulging the Heart

Rating/summary/notes in the first part

------~~~~~-----

__

February 12th,

I have a better idea today of what I want from this holiday. And all hints, clues, and other innuendos would seem to indicate that I can get exactly that. I only have to make clear what I want.

Sora called a little bit ago to let me know that everyone is getting together tomorrow. A little pre-holiday party. No gifts, or anything, just a get-together between friends. And, as these parties have typically gone every year, there -will- be gifts, even they're small. For the past three years running, each of the girls have handed out a chocolate to each of the male destined in honor of our friendship. And on White Day, we guys reciprocate.

It somehow works out. They have to spend more, given that we (us males) outnumber them, but in exchange for their sacrifice, they get back twice as much as they give. Actually, maybe that doesn't work out. Last year, I remember Sora complaining that all the chocolate was going to make her either fat or sick.

Note to self: find an alternative to chocolate.

-----~~~~~-----

Daisuke climbed slowly up the stairs, his feet heavy on the steps. Beside him, keeping pace and a steady silence, was Takeru. They had run into each other in the lobby, and had decided to walk up together. So far, the young blond had said nothing of Daisuke's rather sluggish ascent.

He did, however, notice the item in Daisuke's hands. "Pants?" he said the one word like a question, his eyes skimming Daisuke's face.

"Yeah," the redhead said softly, his right hand tightening over the material. "Your brother didn't have anything really decent for a date, and I figured that since I helped ruin his last good pair, I'd replace them."

"That's nice of you," Takeru said carefully, frowning at Daisuke's lifeless tone. "What's wrong?"

Brown eyes met blue, and the owner of the first shrugged. "I'm hoping that if I can just convince myself that I'm tired or bored, I'll manage to keep a hold on my mouth and actions, and not make a total fool of myself." He frowned as they reached the correct landing and stepped into the hallway. Almost as an afterthought, he mumbled, "Again." 

"You know," Takeru started conversationally. "My brother doesn't seem to think you're as much of a dork as you'd like to think he does."

They came to a stop in front of the door to the Ishida apartment. Daisuke gave Takeru a funny look, wondering if he had spoken with his brother the night before. "What?"

The blond chuckled and laughed, digging in his pants pocket for his key. "Despite the fact that you -act- like a dork around him, and the fact that you -are- a dork, my brother doesn't really think so little of you. I'd say that he even respects and likes you."

The auburn-haired teen rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath. "Whatever. The day I get your brother's respect is the day I get to see -him- make a fool of himself." He sighed, watching as Takeru sorted through a bunch of keys. "Will you hurry it up? I've got about five minutes before my cereal rush kicks in, and then there will be no stopping the sugar rush for a good three hours.

"Why would you eat cereal at this time of the day?" Takeru asked, finally selecting a key and trying it in the lock. It didn't fit, and he started searching again. 

Daisuke looked at his wrist before remember that he wasn't wearing a watch, and then shrugged. "It's a good afternoon snack. I have cereal twice a day, every day." He sighed, snatching the keys from Takeru. He flipped through them quickly, finally chose one at random, and shoved it into the lock. A flick of his wrist opened the door, and he smirked at Takeru. "Am I good, or am I good?"

"You're dead!" They both turned sharply at the sound of Yamato's yell, catching sight of the him just as he fell to the floor with a loud thud. "And when I get up, I'll be able to kill you," Yamato continued with a groan. He hadn't noticed the two in the doorway, and he didn't see them until they were inside with the door shut. "Oh, great," he groaned, rolling onto his stomach and hiding his face in his arms.

Tai stepped out of the living room and stood over his best friend, snickering. Yamato was dressed only in a tank top and a pair of boxers, an outfit not suitable for wearing anywhere but to bed in such cold weather. Both articles of clothing were covered with little red hearts, and his hair was an interesting shade of pink.

"I hate you," Yamato muttered into his arms, the words aimed at Tai. He refused to lift his head even as he heard his brother and Daisuke take their shoes off. "Takeru? Brother mine? Please kill him," he asked pleadingly. He felt fingers stroke through his hair, and he sighed. "It's horrible, isn't it?"

Yamato sighed again, enjoying the feeling of having his head rubbed.

"It washes out!" Tai said with exasperation. He sighed and stomped back towards the bathroom. "If you would read the instructions like I told you to, you'd be showering, not whining on your floor."

"If I had been given the instructions before I unknowingly put it in my hair, I wouldn't be in this problem in the first place, because it wouldn't have happened!" he yelled back angrily, finally pushing himself onto his knees so that he could glare at Tai. His view was obstructed by Daisuke, who offered him a small smile as he continued to play with Yamato's hair. 

"Pink is -not- your color," the boy who still had auburn hair stated helpfully, his lips twitching. 

"You think?" Yamato returned sarcastically, staring at Daisuke without realizing. They were kneeling so close it would have been difficult to find something else to look at, and he truly had no desire to look away.

"At least your eyebrows are still blond," Daisuke said helpfully, finally pulling his hand back. He grinned. "And it matches your clothes. It's fashionable. As your coordinator, I would know."

The smile that Yamato graced him with was less than grateful. "Daisuke, if we weren't friends, you would be hurting right now." Gathering as much dignity as he could, he stood up and walked to the bathroom, his head held high. There was a laugh that sounded to Daisuke like it was from Tai, and it turned quickly to a pained grunt.

"Man, that was mean!" Tai said. Daisuke and Takeru looked at each other.

"I told you so," Takeru said smartly. 

"Told me what?" Daisuke asked.

The blond simply grinned wider. "That he respected you." He leaned closer. "And that he liked you."

"How do you figure that he likes me?" Daisuke muttered, looking in the direction of the bathroom.

"Um, the fact that he chose to vent his anger on Tai and not on you, despite the fact that you were closer?" Takeru pointed out, smiling.

-----~~~~~-----

__

I was never meant to have pink hair, and I'm doubly grateful that at this moment I am -still- a blond. The temporary hair-dye that Tai though would be funny to slip into my hair gel only lasted through two rinses. I think, when I get revenge, I'll go with a permanent color. An eye for an eye, and hair for hair…

Sora and Tai are going out for dinner on Valentine's Day. I guess that Tai set it up the day they started going out. He's a better boyfriend than I would ever have given him credit for being. So far, he's managed to outdo my efforts on my best days, and he's not even -trying-.

That may have been the problem, though. I did try very hard to be a good boyfriend. I know that they say that you have to work at a relationship to make it work, but loving someone should never seem like it takes effort. And if I had ever thought about relationships like I do now, I would have realized how wrong Sora and I were for each other

But everything works for the best. Takeru told me that today. He seems a lot happier, which is nice. Of course, that could be because he and Daisuke are planning a surprise on Ken for Valentine's Day. I didn't have to do anything about that situation after all. It's nice to know that my brother has such a nice friend to help him out.

What am I saying? Nice friend? Daisuke, who was chasing him around with the same bottle of hair-dye that found it's way into my hair-gel? Daisuke, who has only once said his name right? Daisuke, who has fought both for him and with him?

I remember him when he was just an arrogant, loud-mouthed pain in the neck. I was ready to throw him off the side of a mountain just for a little peace and quiet. But, really, I don't think he's changed half as much as my attitude and feelings about him have changed

And after today, feeling him touch the pink mess that my hair had become, I think I'm starting to like these changes more and more.

-----~~~~~-----

"Are you sure that this is what Sora meant when she said that we should 'fix the lights'? Koushiro asked doubtfully. Miyako snorted, taking the electrical cord from his hands as he continued to stare at the mess of wires on the wall.

"Yes, I'm sure," she answered with a brusque nod. "Just set it up on an automatic timer, and we'll call it good, okay?" 

The redhead smiled and nodded. "Of course, boss," he responded seriously. He ignored the way Miyako narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hey, guys, do you really think-" Jyou stopped in mid-sentence as he stepped into the room and saw the lights. "Is that supposed to be-?"

"Yes," Miyako giggled, stepping away from the wall so that she could get a better look at her handiwork. After a moment, she titled her head and smiled. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Lovely," both of the guys agreed. They looked at each other and smiled.

The girl gave a look of disgust. "If you two are going to get all lovey, I'm out of here. I need to stop by Iori's and make sure that he's walking with me tomorrow. You two -can- manage to keep your hands to yourselves long enough to finish up, right?"

They both nodded, their cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

She gathered her coat and things together, and headed for the door, but not before turning around to grin at them. "Have I told you guys that you're cute together?" she asked.

"Yes," Jyou said, nodding and turning away.

"Repeatedly," Koushiro agreed, smiling slightly as he started setting the timer for the lights. "And then you tell us that if we get 'mushy', you're going to lock us in a closet. And either of those things have yet to happen."

"What can I say? You guys are so boring, I'm hoping to spur you into action by mentioning it," she said slyly. Koushiro looked up, and they smiled at each other. "Take good care of him, right? And don't let him try to unplug anything just because it might not be 'safe'."

She shut the door softly behind her, and Jyou returned. He squatted down and leaned over his boyfriend's shoulder, one hand gently resting on the redhead's side. "How long did it take her to make it?" he asked, gesturing to the design on the wall. It was the Crest of Love, created out of red, white, and pink lights.

"Only about four hours. She went through hearts, cupid, and actual words before she settled on that," Koushiro replied, leaning back slightly as he continued his work.

Jyou pressed a tender kiss to his temple, and then rested his chin on the redhead's shoulder. "Sora will like it," he said decisively, looking up as the lights went out. "You have the timer set?" he asked, assuming that that was why the lights were off.

Koushiro was silent, his body stilled. After a moment, he turned his head, face pinched. "She's going to kill me."

Five minutes later, they were out the door, their coats in their hands as they discussed the nearest place to buy a bunch of colored lights.

-----~~~~~-----

Daisuke sighed gustily, flopping onto his back on Ken's bed. "He's so cute, you know that?"

"Mmhmm," Ken mumbled an agreement.

"Even with pink hair, he's more than nice to look at. And in those clothes! I don't know how Tai managed to get him into that outfit, but I'd pay good money if he could do it again." He turned his head and grinned at Ken. "He's even cute when he's mad."

"Mmhm," came the mumbled reply.

Daisuke turned his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Do you think fate is playing a joke on me? Making the guy that I like gay? At least, when he was dating Sora, it wasn't that -I- wasn't his type, but guys weren't. And now…Do you think he could like me?"

"I think it's very possible that he could return your feelings," Ken replied, his gaze never leaving the book he was reading. 

"Really?" Daisuke asked hopefully, turning onto his side and staring at the side of Ken's head. "Really really?"

Ken sighed and looked up finally, marking his place in his book with a finger. "Daisuke, you're wonderful, you're attractive, and he's single. Unless he's madly in love with someone else, and you said Takeru doesn't even think that's likely, then there is no reason why -you- can not be the person he falls in love with."

"I guess you're right," Daisuke said, rolling back onto his back. "Tak-" he cut off abruptly and sighed. "I'm running out of names for that boy."

"That's what happens when you spend years coming up with variations. I can't understand why you just don't pick one or two and stay with them."

"Because it's more fun to invent new ones every time!" Daisuke said cheekily.

Ken chuckled and shook his head. "Maybe it's time to start using his name, then. After all, if you start dating his brother, Yamato might get mad if you won't address his brother correctly."

"Well, that, and it would probably be nice if I called my best friend's boyfriend by name, too," Daisuke said with a grin. He was satisfied to see a flush creep up Ken's face, and his grin widened. "You know, if tomorrow works out…"

"If tomorrow works out the way it's supposed to, I will never doubt one of your plans again," Ken promised.

"Dude, you've never doubted my plans before, why would you start now," Daisuke said. He stopped and looked at Ken considering. "If you've ever doubted me, I -don't- want to know about it."

"I've never doubted you, Daisuke," Ken assured warmly, smiling at his friend. 

"Good," Daisuke said. He shifted again, this time so that he was laying perpendicular to Ken, his legs lying across the backs of Ken's legs. "Ken?"

"Yes, Daisuke?" Ken tilted his head patiently.

"Will you do me a favor?"

"Of course," Ken agreed without hesitation, curiosity spurred by his best friend's tone.

Daisuke looked at him, brown eyes very serious. "Will you teach me to dance?"

"As opposed to bouncing?" Ken questioned teasingly. He regretted his small joke as Daisuke sighed and returned to watching the shadows on the ceiling. "Of course, Daisuke. I'd be more than happy to teach you whenever you want to learn."

"Like now?" Daisuke said hopefully, face eager.

"Like now." 

If either boy noticed that the time was nearing midnight, he said nothing.

I -will- be posting on V-day, no fear! FF.net will be down, but the latest part is available at my site. http://www.baseofoperation.org

Or, you can visit the page for the story itself: http://www.baseofoperation.org/raegan_indulgingheart.html


	7. February 13th

Author: Rae

Title: Indulging the Heart

Rating/summary/notes in the first part

-----~~~~~-----

__

February 13th,

I'm feeling good today. I have a couple of hours before I have to be at Sora's for the get-together. I'm dressed, showered, and ready to go. I'd arrive early like I have every year, but I have a feeling that Tai's probably there already, and…I really don't need to interrupt them.

Takeru is coming over in a little bit, once again with Daisuke in tow. Now that Takeru's decided to get together with Ken, they're hanging out more and more, probably planning the genius's downfall. Why Takeru simply doesn't ask him out is beyond me. Daisuke is known for going overboard, but I would have thought my brother was more logical than that.

Daisuke takes after Taichi in that respect. When no one else has a clue, they'll come up with something, anything, to keep from being idle. And more often than not, something will go wrong before it turns out right, but it always, -always- seems to work out. The gift of natural born leaders?

Heh. More like the luck of the devil.

-----~~~~~-----

"Okay, what are you guys planning for tonight?" Yamato asked as soon as he had shut the door behind his expected guests. Takeru and Daisuke turned to look at him, each one with a grin wide enough to make a normal person run in fear.

"I thought about what you said yesterday," Takeru started. "And you're right. Following along with one of Daisuke's plans will only get someone hurt." Daisuke snorted, crossing his arms over his chest and assuming a pouting expression. The blond continued. "So, I wanted to know if you had any ideas."

"Be yourself?" Yamato suggested questioningly. He shrugged. "You can always go with Daisuke's idea. What's a little pain if it gets you the guy you want, right?"

"It wasn't that bad of an idea!" Daisuke said abruptly, glaring at them both. He sighed and looked at Takeru. "If you don't like that idea, then I'll just give you a chance to get him alone, okay? And then you just have to tell him you like him, and he'll admit his feelings of everlasting adoration. Easy as pie, right?" Daisuke said with a smile. Both blonds looked at him, their faces set in matching expressions of doubt. "Trust me, guys."

-----~~~~~-----

__

I fail to see how Daisuke's newest plan can go wrong, and that scares me. It scares me very much. It seems too easy, somehow, that his plan is to do nothing more than to get them alone together. He left shortly after giving Takeru his promise that once they were alone, everything would go okay.

I gave Takeru some advice on how to tell Ken that he liked him, and we went through several variations of the same speech before he had memorized one that he seemed happy with. It doesn't seem to matter that Daisuke has said that Ken returns his feelings; there is still an underlying fear of rejection. I am not going to revisit how wrong that situation feels.

My brother stayed for a bit longer, and then went to meet up with Iori. They're going to walk together to the party. I'm a little disappointed. I had thought that we would go in a group, and instead, I've been abandoned. I must now go 'stag', which is due to be as boring as it sounds.

-----~~~~~-----

"I am a sexy beast!" Daisuke hollered, posing inside the doorway. The effect was ruined when no one bothered to acknowledge him or his entrance.. Ken offered a small smile to everyone that was there as he ducked under Daisuke's arm, and they smiled and waved back. Daisuke rolled his eyes and muttered about 'rudeness' as he took Ken's coat and threw it on the back of a chair with his own.

Ken's gaze settled on Takeru, and the blond stared back, smiling slightly. Seeing that his friends were occupied with each other, Daisuke headed towards the kitchen. "So, where's the rest of the gang?" he asked of Sora and Tai, who were finishing the last of the preparations and arguing over the contents of the punch bowl.

Their argument turned into a quick kiss as Tai finally conceded. Daisuke grinned at them, assuming a sentimental expression as he clasped his hands to his chest. In a false, high voice, he said, "Oh, aren't you two the sweetest!"

"Yes, they are," Yamato agreed loudly, his voice coming directly behind the auburn-haired boy causing Daisuke to whip around, eyes widening in surprise as the blond smiled back at him. "You're on top of things, as usual. I was right behind you guys in the hallway, but you missed seeing me with your posing inside the doorway." He paused, as if considering something, before leaning forward and continuing in an a soft, low tone. "You sexy beast, you."

Daisuke flushed slightly, feeling a thrill pass through him at Yamato's tone and words. His grinned widened in proportion to his excitement, and he boasted, "I was too busy admiring my own entrance." His smile softened the words into a form self-mockery.

The blond debated the consequences of responding before deciding that the conversation could only get worse from there. He shook his head and reached out to ruffle Daisuke's hair, or at least, that was his intention. His hand seemed to have a mind of its own, and it slid through Daisuke's bangs and then moved down to brush a gentle caress against his cheek. Yamato smiled lopsidedly and tilted his head. "Hi."

"Hi," Daisuke greeted in return, his voice shaking slightly.

Yamato turned in time to miss the blush and grin that took over Daisuke's face. Takeru and Iori were sitting on the sofa in the living room, and both gave him odd looks as he unbuttoned his coat, hung it up, and then joined them on the couch.. He smiled at them, his heart beating rapidly in his chest despite all outward appearances of calm.

Hikari and Miyako were standing by the wall, quietly discussing something, their heads bent together. Behind them, on the wall, was a lit imitation of the Crest of Love.

Yamato looked at Ken, who had taken a seat on the far end of the sofa when Daisuke abandoned him to seek out the hostess. "Hello, Ken," Yamato greeted him pleasantly, offering the younger teen a small smile.

"Hello," Ken returned the greeting, tone equally polite and smile just as guarded. "I'm surprised that you weren't already here when we arrived, as you have been consistently in the past." It was a probing phrase, designed to inquire without actually asking, and Yamato smiled at Ken's cleverness.

"In years past, I dated the hostess, and it would have been rude to leave her to do everything," Yamato answered with a shrug. "And since Tai now has that singular honor, he also gets that duty."

"Not that he minds," Sora said teasingly, walking into the living room in time to hear Yamato's words. She smiled at him, tilting her head to indicate the brunette that was standing at her elbow, grinning happily as he held a large bowl brimming with punch. "He says he likes following me around like a lost puppy and getting in my way."

"That's not what I said!" Tai argued. "I said that I wanted to come early to help you out, and to be here should you need anything."

She looked over her shoulder, treating him to a gently teasing smile. "Same thing, dear," she responded, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "Now put that down before you wear it, or spill it on the carpet."

"Yes, dear," Tai said weakly, sounding very much like a devoted, dominated husband. It was all for effect, and their repartee drew laughs from several of the destined.

There was a knock on the door, and Sora went to answer it. Jyou and Koushiro entered. Everyone who would be arriving was present, and Sora announced that the party had officially started.

Despite the fact that there were four people on the couch already, and that it was only supposed to sit three people, four if they were all small children, Daisuke plopped himself on the middle cushion, forcing both Takeru and Yamato to move over in order to save themselves from being sat on. He grinned at them both, then smiled across the room to Hikari and Miyako, who were finally done talking privately and had decided to join the rest of the group.

As conversations started up, Daisuke turned to Takeru and began to whisper in the blond's ear, his voice indiscernible to the people on either side of them. Suddenly, the auburn-haired boy stood up, raising his hands to silence everyone else.

"Hey, guys. Takeru has to run and get something. Any volunteers want to go to make sure he doesn't get lost?" Daisuke asked, grinning at the blond. Brown eyes turned to Ken, and the genius gazed back at his best friend. 

"I'll go," Ken volunteered, standing up.

The auburn-haired teen grinned, winking at his best friend before turning back to Takeru and telling him quietly, "I'll pay you back later, okay?"

Takeru nodded, standing up and smiling. "Of course. I'll see you guys in a little while," he said the last to the rest of the group.

Everyone said their assorted goodbyes, and soon the two were on their way, both bundled against the weather. In Takeru's mind, his opportunity to declare himself was coming.

Ken simply smiled in satisfaction.

-----~~~~~-----

"What did you just do?" Yamato asked suspiciously, looking at Daisuke as the boy resumed his seat on the couch. Instead of scooting away and putting room between them, Daisuke had sat in the same exact spot, leaving him pressed against Yamato despite the fact that half of the couch was empty.

"Who, me?" Daisuke questioned innocently, batting his eyelashes. He laughed and grinned before Yamato could reply to the inanity of his question. "I sent him out after a gift," he admitted finally, his grin triumphant.

"A gift for who?" Yamato asked.

Brown eyes gazed at him for a moment, and then Daisuke smiled. "I told him that it was for you," he said. He leaned closer, dropping his voice to a whisper. "But really, it's only for you because I told you I'd get him together with Ken. And since that's what should be happening as soon as they get to the address I sent them to…" he trailed off, grinning smugly. "I am the man."

"I thought you were a sexy beast," Yamato replied. The younger boy froze, his grin dimming as he tried to decide whether to take that as sarcasm or flirting. With a smile, Yamato nudged his arm and smiled at him, settling Daisuke's indecision with a sincere, "Only you could be both." It was said seriously, as Yamato held the boy's gaze with intense blue eyes.

-----~~~~~-----

"I think I should be worried that he got my name right," Takeru said jokingly, peering out the corner of his eye as Ken laughed softly. They were walking down the snow-lined street, hands deep in the pockets of their respective coats. 

The blond could feel his heart beating harder with each passing moment. Daisuke had told him that he would give him time alone with the genius, and that he would have to take advantage of it, but faced with such a situation, Takeru didn't know what to do. There were rules and boundaries that he had never learned because he had never thought he would get as far as he had come in the past week.

He sighed, burrowing down into his coat so that the top button was pressed against his lips, and little of his face could be seen. He hadn't realized that Daisuke would be sending them outside on an errand, but it was typical, given Daisuke's logic. They were together, there was no one else around, and it was as he had promised.

"Here," Ken said suddenly, stopping and turning towards the building beside them. Takeru turned as well, and looked at the odd writing on the door. It wasn't in Japanese, or any other language that he recognized off-hand. It looked like it could have been French, but he couldn't decipher the words. The address was correct, however.

"You're sure?" he asked, then winced at how stupid that sounded. He was with Ken, the genius. If Ken said it was the place, it was the place. "So, we just go in?" he asked.

"What did Daisuke tell you?" Ken asked in return, turning violet eyes on Takeru.

"He said to go in and give the person in the front his name," Takeru answered, recalling Daisuke's words. He straightened up and smiled at Ken. "So let's go in," he said merrily, sounding more certain than he felt.

Ken smiled at him, and he felt his heart jump in his chest.

The inside of the building was warm, and a man wearing a white shirt, black pants, and a black apron approached them instantly. "May I take your coats, sirs?" the man asked, bowing to them before holding his hands out for the articles on request. 

With a frown, Takeru shrugged out of his coat, watching as Ken did the same.

"Ah, welcome, welcome!" another man said, coming out from behind a podium. "What name, sirs?" he asked. He was dressed the same as the first, minus the apron and with the addition of a red jacket. Takeru looked at Ken, who looked back expectantly.

"Motomiya Daisuke," the blond said uncertainly. Instantly the man in the red coat smiled.

"Of course. If you will follow me to the table," the man said, turning and walking away. After a moment, Takeru followed, throwing a confused glance at Ken. The genius was smiling slightly, his eyes on Takeru, as if he was waiting for his reaction. 

They took the seats that the man waved them into, and immediately, another one in an apron arrived. 

"This is Marius. He shall be your waiter for this evening. If you should need anything, please do not hesitate to summon him. Enjoy your meal, sirs," with another bow, the man in the red coat disappeared, and Marius placed a menu in front of each of them.

When they were alone again, Takeru looked up, his eyes wide and slightly worried. "What just happened?"

"We were seated for dinner," Ken said unhelpfully, pointing out the obvious with a growing smile.

Takeru blinked at him, his eyes narrowing. Finally, he gave a loud huff, turning his face away from Ken so that the genius couldn't see his face as he said heatedly, "I don't have enough money for this…how is Dai going pay me back later?"

"Actually," Ken said, looking up at Takeru through his lashes. "I was going to treat for this one." His voice was soft and serious. Takeru sucked in a breath, feeling his stomach drop as Ken continued. "If that's okay with you?"

"Yes!" the word was out of his mouth before he could even consider tamping down on the excitement and hope that it contained. He laughed shakily and shook his head before saying it again, gently. "Yes."

-----~~~~~-----

"So, what do you want to find in a guy, Yamato?" Sora asked, turning the conversation back to the blond, who had started that topic soon after his brother and Ken had left. The blond hesitated for a moment, as if truly surprised that it had come back to him.

"I guess I want what everyone wants. A great romance, someone to have dinner with, and to go to the movies with. Someone to spend the holidays with. I want someone that I can buy flowers for, and who will hold my hand during walks on the beach in summer. I want-"

"Oh, you're as bad as a girl," Daisuke said suddenly, breaking into Yamato's reflective response.

Taichi shook his head in warning, knowing that Daisuke was treading on thin ice. "Daisuke, watch what you say. He can beat the crap out of you to prove that he's not female." Sora huffed and smacked him on the arm.

"Whatever," the auburn-haired boy said dismissively. He smirked at Yamato, his hands on his hips. "You're a woman, Yamato. Actually, you're worse than a woman, you're a-" he was cut off by the blond lunging at him, his eyes narrowed dangerously. With a laugh, Daisuke ran for the hallway, his goal to reach the room at the end before Yamato caught and killed him. He was almost there when a hand fisted in his shirt and halted his progress.

He turned around and broke the hold, but found himself trapped in the corner between the wall and the door with an angry blond looming over him. "Give me one reason that I shouldn't make you eat your words," Yamato said in a dangerously soft tone. He wouldn't actually hurt Daisuke, and it was something that they both knew. Daisuke just grinned back unrepentantly.

"Because I wanted to give you this," Daisuke said suddenly, pulling a small box out of seemingly thin air and holding it in front of Yamato's nose. The blond looked at it, his eyes crossing before he remembered to lean back for a better look. It was wrapped in bright blue paper.

"You've already had enough pink this week," Daisuke said quietly, tapping a finger on the box to indicate the color choice for the paper.. "I even wrapped it myself," he said proudly.

Yamato dragged his eyes away from the box and back to Daisuke, watching the play of emotions on the boy's face. There was hope, and fear, and the normal daring that Yamato had come to associate with the younger boy. His eyes were wide, and staring at Yamato expectantly.

"You got me a gift," the blond said, his voice little above a whisper. Daisuke nodded, his lips shifting into a hesitant grin. It made Yamato's chest squeeze as he reached for the box.

Daisuke stopped the blond when he moved to open the present right then. "You have to wait until tomorrow to open it. It's a Valentine's Day present, after all," he laughed slightly, his grin coming out in full-force as he seemed to regain his confidence. He reached out and caught the blond in surprise by tickling his sides. Daisuke ducked under Yamato's arm, laughing as he escaped back to the living room. The blond smiled, shaking his head and chuckling as he followed.

I -will- be posting on V-day, no fear! FF.net will be down, but the latest part is available at my site. http://www.baseofoperation.org

Or, you can visit the page for the story itself: http://www.baseofoperation.org/raegan_indulgingheart.html


	8. February 14thblame FFnet for the late po...

Author: Rae

Title: Indulging the Heart

Rating/summary/notes in the first part

-----~~~~-----

__

February 14th,

Last night was fun. I don't remember a get-together being so fun, especially when a quarter of the guests weren't around. I'm hoping that Takeru had fun; he hasn't called me yet, and I'm wondering if maybe he and Ken have met up to spend the day together.

My date is tonight. Ten hours and counting down until the mysterious 'he' is supposed to arrive on my doorstep.

I am hoping that it's a certain redheaded goggle-boy.

-----~~~~~-----

The phone rang at seven thirty. Yamato answered it on the third ring. 

"Yamato, you won't believe what happened!" Takeru's voice sang from the other end. The older blond blinked, holding the phone away from his ear and shaking his head. His brother kept talking, and Yamato missed a part of what he had said. "…and then he ordered dinner in Greek! Greek, Yamato? How many fifteen-year old guys know how to speak Greek!?"

'I'm guessing one,' Yamato thought. Takeru never gave him a an actual chance to reply as he continued on, going into detail about the restaurant, dinner, and the walk home.

"And he kissed my cheek. I feel like such a girl, but I can't help it!"

"Don't let Hikari hear you say that," Yamato managed, grinning at his brother's excitement.

"You know what I mean, brother! I just…I want to laugh and giggle and sing, and I haven't had breakfast because I can't sit still!"

"Takeru, calm down. You're starting to sound like Daisuke," the older blond warned.

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and then the sound of Takeru's laughter drifted through. Yamato raised an eyebrow, even though his brother couldn't see him, and wondered what was so funny.

"Anyway," Takeru went on. "He's coming over tonight, and we're going to go to the movies. And he doesn't realize it yet, but -I'm- paying, since he spent a fortune last night on dinner. I swear, a glass of water was five hundred yen by itself. I can't imagine how much the meal cost."

"Don't worry about that, just enjoy the fact that he thought you were worth it," Yamato suggested. 

On the other end of the line, Takeru sighed. "Yeah," he said happily, his smile carrying through the phone in his voice. "I have a wonderful boyfriend."

"It sounds that way," Yamato agreed, hoping that the contentment he felt at his brother's happiness carried through the phone. "Are you going to come over here and visit me before you go out tonight?" he asked. He could use the chance to talk to somehow who -wasn't- Daisuke about Daisuke. 

To his disappointment, Takeru said, "No. Hikari and I have to finish a project for school, and we planned on getting together for a couple of hours today to go over the details. She's not actually dating anyone, and it's not fair for me to break our plans just because -I- am."

"True," Yamato conceded. "I'll see you this Saturday, right?"

"Yeah. You're coming over for dinner, right? Oh, that was the other thing!" he said suddenly, his voice growing more animated once again. "I forgot to tell you; Mom said that Ken could come for dinner!"

"That's great!"

"Yeah. So, he might be there on Saturday, too. I'll see you later, Yamato. Mom has to use the phone and I have to get my stuff around."

"Later, little brother." Yamato listened until the dial tone came on, and then he hung up the phone.

"What did Takeru have to say?" his father asked. Yamato turned and smiled at him.

"He went on a date last night, he has a date tonight, he has a 'wonderful' boyfriend, and Mom has invited said boyfriend to dinner on Saturday."

"Hm," the man replied nodding. He seemed to take a moment to think before asking Yamato, "And do you have plans for tonight?"

"I have a date," Yamato imparted the information, frowning slightly. "Tai and Daisuke set it up, and haven't bothered to tell me who it is. I'm kind of expecting it to be Daisuke."

"Ah," his father said, sounding as if that explained everything. Yamato smiled. "So, Yamato," his father probed. "What's in the box on the kitchen table?"

"Oh, that," Yamato said, his smile turning into a full-fledged grin. "That's from Daisuke. He said that I couldn't open it until today, and now that it's today, I'm scared of what may be in it."

"This Daisuke, he's the one that's been here a couple of times this week, right?"

"The one that helped me chose my clothes?" Yamato said helpfully. "Yeah, that's him." He sighed, shaking his head. "He's a…an interesting person," Yamato said, at a loss of how exactly to explain Daisuke's appeal. He was saved by his father looking at his watch and announcing that he had to leave.

The apartment seemed empty now that he was by himself, and he wandered into the kitchen and stared at the box with the blue wrapping that sat patiently waiting on the table. He ignored it for a few minutes, until the curiosity overwhelmed him.

The wrapping paper was torn off and deposited back on the table as he stared at the little white box he'd uncovered. Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to go slower, he opened the box, folding the flaps back and looking inside. There was a thin piece of wax paper on top, and he took it off carefully. In the bottom of the box was a chocolate heart.

He took the heart out carefully, making sure to keep the wax paper beneath it between his skin and the chocolate so he wouldn't melt it in his hand. The top of the heart was inscribed with the letters 'MD loves IY', with a heart surrounding it. His heart stopped, and then started beating double time, and he closed his eyes.

-----~~~~~-----

Tai reached up and fixed the collar on Yamato's shirt for the third time. "If you'd leave it alone, it'd be fine," he told the blond firmly, slapping his hands away. "You look fine, wonderful even. Stop fidgetting already!"

Yamato sighed, swatting at Tai's hands again, and stepping back. "I wish you'd stop saying that. I'm fine- not nervous or anything. I have ten minutes and you keep messing up my shirt."

Sitting at the side of the room, Sora sighed as her boyfriend and his best friend started bickering once again. They had stopped by to make sure that Yamato was indeed ready when his date arrived. He had greeted them at the door, dressed, if one discounted the fact that his blue dress-shirt was completely unbuttoned.

They had spent the last thirty minutes with Tai and Yamato arguing over the latter's shirt, socks, and shoes. Sora gave up her position as referee when Tai made the mistake of commenting on Yamato's hair. The blond gave him a dirty look, and proceeded to pelt him with some of the items on his desk, including pens, pencils, and a five pound rock used as a paperweight.

"I give, I give!" Tai said laughingly, holding his hands up in surrender. 

The blond gave him a considering look and set his latest projectile, a picture frame, back on the surface of the desk. "Leave the hair out of it," Yamato warned, turning back to the mirror and playing with his collar one last time before being satisfied.

"You do look wonderful," Sora said, wondering why Yamato was being more sensitive about his hair than normal. 

"Thank you," said Yamato sincerely, turning to smile at her. "What are you two doing while I'm out tonight with bachelor X?"

"Having dinner at my house," Sora answered, turning her smile to Tai, who grinned back. "Tai even said that he'll cook."

"And you're still going to let him into the apartment, after a threat like that?" Yamato said teasingly. Sora laughed and Tai tried to pout.

"So, Yamato," Tai said, his serious tone breaking the humorous mood suddenly. "What's up with the box on the table? I though you normally tossed the chocolates that your fan girls leave at your door?"

Yamato looked at him, eyes widening as he tried to decide the best way to answer that. He didn't know if Daisuke would appreciate their friends knowing that he'd given him the chocolate. Then again, it was Daisuke, and the boy knew no shame. Finally, he shrugged and tried to appear as calm as possible as he stated, "It wasn't from a fan girl."

"A guy gave you chocolates?" Sora asked, pleasantly surprised at the prospect. Yamato nodded, confirming her guess. "That's very sweet, Yamato. Who was it?"

"Daisuke," he answered, sighing. There was no reason to lie or to avoid the question; they were his friends, they already knew he was gay. What was the worse they could do? They laughed. "What's so funny?" he asked, trying to pout and failing as Tai had done.

"He's had a crush on you forever. It's nice to see that he's being a bit more…direct," Sora finally replied. "He's been so sweet about this date, too. He's gone all out, and has spent so much time trying to make sure that tonight is perfect for you."

'_…perfect for you.' _Yamato replayed those words in his head for a moment before coming to a decision that had been waiting in the back of his head since morning. "Will you guys do me a favor?" he asked suddenly, surprising them both. They looked at him, at each other, and then back at him before nodding. "If I, um, had something to give to Daisuke, could you guys make sure he gets it? I don't know if I'll see him," though he hoped he would. "And I want him to have it today."

Sora smiled and looked at Tai. The brunette nodded. "Of course, Yamato. What is it?"

"There's a bakery about two blocks from here. I called in an order for a gift for today, and they said they would have it ready. I'll give you the money now, and you just need to make sure that he gets it at some point tonight."

"Sounds like a plan," Tai said. As Yamato left the room, he turned to Sora and grinned mischievously.

"I don't know what you're planning, Yagami Taichi, but don't," she warned.

"Oh, I'm not 'planning' anything. That's all been done for me. I'm just along for the ride," he assured her, his grin widening. She sighed, recognizing the look as one that portended trouble.

-----~~~~~-----

Takeru whistled in appreciation as Daisuke stepped into the lobby of the apartment building. "Nice outfit, hot-stuff," he crowed, leering at his friend. Daisuke paused and raised an eyebrow, saying eloquently with his eyes that he thought Takeru was crazy.

Standing beside his new boyfriend, Ken offered an encouraging smile. "You do look good, Daisuke. That's a nice color on you."

"Thank you," Daisuke said gratefully, resisting the urge to preen nervously. He clenched his hands at his sides to keep them from being run through his hair and tried to grin. It came out as a half-hearted, nervous smile. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

"We wanted to make sure that everything went okay," Ken answered. "We're on our way to the movies right now."

"Ah," Daisuke said, nodding wisely. "You guys stopped by to make sure that I didn't chicken out, you mean?"

"You, chicken out?" Takeru said with amazement, acting as if the idea would never have occurred to him. "Nah. We just wanted to make sure that you dressed yourself right. We'd hate to have Yamato's 'fashion coordinator' cause a fashion disaster on his date, you know?"

"Shut up," Daisuke said, rolling his eyes and raising a hand to fix the button at his neck. Either his white shirt was over-starched, or it seemed tight because of the butterflies in his stomach, but he couldn't seem to get entirely comfortable in his outfit. He dropped his arm again, rubbing his fingertips absently against the soft material of his pants. 

"Daisuke?" Takeru said suddenly, drawing him out of his reverie. "What's up with the shoes?"

Without looking down, Daisuke grimaced, shrugging awkwardly. "I don't have dress shoes. These were the nicest I had that fit. I didn't remember shoes until I left."

Ken and Takeru looked at his tennis shoes again, noting the fact that, though black, they were hardly formal-wear. They looked up at the same time, their eyes meeting before they turned supportive smiles at Daisuke. 

"It looks fine," Ken assured, moving forward to take Daisuke's arm. He started leading the auburn-haired boy to the elevator, and Takeru quickly took up position on his other side.

"You do look nice, Daisuke," Takeru said seriously, reaching forwards to push the call button for the elevator at the same time as Ken. They stopped and smiled at each other before pushing it together. 

When the elevator arrived, they shoved Daisuke inside. Ken stepped in long enough to push the floor button, and they both of his friends stepped back and waved at him as the doors slowly closed.

-----~~~~~-----

Sora, Taichi, and Yamato all looked up sharply as someone knocked on the apartment door. As one, they stood up, and then looked at each other and laughed. Yamato sighed, ran his hands down the front of his shirt to smooth it once, and then strode to the door, saying 'please' in his head as he walked.

Swallowing hard, he opened the door, his heart stopping as his eyes met those of the boy on his doorstep. "Daisuke," the name came out with more surprise than he mean to express, especially considering that he had hoped that it was Daisuke.

"Who'd you expect?" Daisuke asked, grinning confidently. "Iori?"

Yamato rolled his eyes and stepped back. "Smart-aleck. Come on in." 

"Why don't you come on out?" Daisuke asked instead of entering. He spread his arms wide. "I'm dressed for a night on the town, you're dressed for about the same. What do you say we go see what trouble we can cause?"

Blue eyes quickly scanned Daisuke's outfit, taking in the white shirt that set of his bronzed skin, the black pants that looked too soft to be jeans, but appeared to be designed the same, and the black shoes that looked more comfortable than his own dress-shoes. "Let me grab my coat," he answered finally, his eyes moving back up to meet Daisuke's gaze.

"Okay, then," Daisuke said. As Yamato turned away, he heard the younger boy take a deep breath, and he smiled at the knowledge that Daisuke wasn't as confident as he seemed.

-----~~~~~-----

"Our little boy is growing up," Tai said, sniffling. Sora sighed and leaned against his shoulder as the apartment door shut behind Yamato, leaving them alone in the Ishida apartment. Tai wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her closer, nuzzling his nose into her hair and inhaling deeply. "I love you."

"Just don't do anything mean tonight," she said in return, turning into his embrace as he brought his other arm up to hug her. Against his shoulder, she said, "I love you, too."

"You know-" Tai started. "It's really a shame that Daisuke will get to eat his cookie, but Yamato won't get a chance to eat his chocolate."

Sora was silent for a moment, and then she smiled, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter. "Very true. You'll have to remedy that, yes?"

-----~~~~~-----

Yamato trailed slightly behind Daisuke, considerably curious as to the auburn-haired boy's plans for the night. They were dressed too nicely for a simple movie, but he couldn't imagine Daisuke at a fancy restaurant, either. He had considered asking, but then threw out that idea; the surprise and suspense were half the fun of the evening, and since he had gotten his wish for 'who' his date was, he wasn't particularly worried about 'where' the date would be, or of 'what' it would consist.

After two blocks of walking a bit more quickly than he should have, Daisuke slowed his steps and matched his strides to Yamato's purposely. He grinned at his date, feeling alive and nervous, confident and scared, all at the same time. 

"Thank you for the chocolate," Yamato said out of the blue, surprising Daisuke until he remembered what Yamato was talking about.

"You're welcome. I thought about a lot of different things…in the end it just seemed like the best idea. Did you know that there are a thousand different types of picks? Size, hardness, color…" he trailed off, shrugging. "I got lost in the music store before I decided that that probably wasn't the best idea," he admitted, grinning abashedly.  
"It was nice," Yamato said approvingly. "I didn't know whether to eat it or keep it."

Daisuke laughed, a faint, pleased flush creeping into his cheeks. "You're supposed to eat it," he told the blond seriously, when his laughter stopped.

-----~~~~~-----

Yamato and Daisuke arrived in front of a large, magnificent looking building, and Daisuke checked the address against a sheet of paper in his pocket before pulling Yamato inside. The foyer of the building was as impressive as the outside, with the lights from chandeliers glowing from gold trim that lined the ceiling, doors, and entryways. They both stopped three feet in, feeling awed and out of place.

"May I help you?" a woman asked as she approached them, her pink ball gown flaring around her feet as she walked with quick strides.

"Um…Motomiya Daisuke, and Ishida Yamato?" Daisuke said uncertainly, feeling more than a little out of his element. He wondered briefly if Ken and Takeru had felt the same the night before when he sent them to a fancy restaurant for dinner.

"Of course!" the woman exclaimed happily, as if she had been expecting them. For the strings that Daisuke had pulled and the favors he had called in, he only thought that fitting. "If you'll follow me, I'll give you brief layout of tonight's activities, their locations, and the general rules of etiquette at the 'Love UU' Valentine Gala."

"'Love UU'," Yamato parroted softly as they followed the woman through crowds of people dressed as fancily as she. Most of the men wore tuxedos, and the women all wore gowns or evening dresses. In spite of the fact that Yamato and Daisuke were 'dressed up', they each felt as if they had worn blue jeans and a T-shirt, they felt that underdressed.

" Love United in Un-prejudice," the woman explained, turning back to smile at them. "It's a gala-event that was started about five years ago. We accept all races, all genders, all couples, all religions, all people. There are few places in the city where you can find restaurants or clubs that accept same-gender couples, or multi-racial couples, unless you wish to visit the extreme of those lifestyles. The UU gala is a moderately formal-" she smiled wider and smoothed her dress, "To extremely formal event, depending on how the individual wishes to dress. There is a door fee, which has already been paid. The fee includes dinner and a comedy show, as well as use of the game room, the pool, the courtyards and grounds outside of the hotel, and non-alcoholic drinks at the bar."

"Wow," Yamato breathed, his mind whirling with all the information. 

Daisuke grinned at him, looking extremely proud of himself. "I am the man," he cheered quietly.

"Yes, you are," Yamato agreed, reaching out and taking his hand. Daisuke's expression changed to one of surprise, and then he smiled happily, his cheeks turning a light pink. They continued to follow the woman as she gave them a tour of the grounds so that they could find their way around later.

-----~~~~~-----

An hour later, they were seated in a secluded corner of a conservatory, where food was being brought around by servers in black tuxedos with red bows and cumberbunds. After going through the 'rules of etiquette' for the ball, they had spent twenty minutes wandering around until they found the place where they were serving dinner. Daisuke, or rather, his stomach, had announced rather loudly that it was time to eat, and they had allowed themselves to be led to a table.

Most of the tables seemed to be semi-private, with trees and fancy partitions set up between each to ensure privacy. It allowed Yamato and Daisuke to spend their first date together side by side, continually touching even as they ate. It was mostly reflex, and neither boy really noticed that when they had an idle hand, it would move instinctively to touch the other.

Since they had arrived, they had seen more people, and though some were very elegantly dressed, many others had opted for suits, and semi-formal clothes such as their own. They had gotten over their discomfort of that, and, seeing that most of the other couples paid them no mind when they touched, had grown emboldened that way as well.

When Daisuke took the last bite of food from his plate and put it into his mouth, Yamato took his plate, stacked it on top of his own, and pushed them aside. As soon as the younger boy was done eating, a waiter approached their table.

"Motomiya Daisuke?" he inquired, giving them a small bow. They looked at each other, and then nodded. "We have a package for you, sir." Another waiter came up behind him and sat a thin, square box wrapped in blue paper on the table in front of Daisuke. What it lacked in height it made up for in width and length, being approximately six inches on either side. "From Ishida Yamato."

Yamato smiled, ducking his head when Daisuke looked at him. "For me?" Daisuke asked as the waiter's left.

"For you," he confirmed. He watched as Daisuke carefully unwrapped his gift, lifted the lid of the box off, and then pulled the wax paper that covered it off.

He froze, his eyes going impossibly wide and his jaw dropping. Inside the box lay a heart shaped cookie, outlined in red, with pink lettering in the middle that read, 'IY luvs MD'. He looked up, his eyes lit with a dark flame. "Thank you," Daisuke said, his voice still tinted with surprise. Before Yamato could blink, Daisuke was in his arms, nearly in his lap, hugging him tightly and laughing. "You're wonderful, you know that?" he asked, pressing his face against Yamato's neck.

"I could say the same about you," Yamato returned, holding Daisuke close. After a moment of holding each other in silence, the blond asked, "Does this mean that I've made it to irresistible?"

Daisuke laughed, moving back to his seat and breaking the spell. 

Another waiter appeared at their side. "Ishida Yamato?" he asked, holding a small white box in his hands.

"Yes," Yamato answered.

"This is to be delivered to you, compliments of Yagami Taichi and Takenouchi Sora." The waiter deposited the box on the table, bowed, and left. Daisuke and Yamato looked at each other, and then laughed.

"We'll have to thank them later," Daisuke said, taking the small box that had the heart he'd given to Yamato. He pushed the cookie, box and all, towards the blond.

"I should tell him that we're even for the pink hair," Yamato said thoughfully as he watched Daisuke take out the chocolate heart. The younger boy held it up to Yamato's mouth, holding it carefully between his fingers.

Yamato licked his lips, feeling his gut tighten, as well as other parts of his body, as he leaned forward, wrapping teeth and lips around the chocolate and taking a bite. He chewed it, his eyes never leaving Daisuke's gaze as he broke off a piece of the cookie heart in his hand and held it up to Daisuke's mouth. He laughed slightly when Daisuke tried to take the whole thing in one bite, grazing his fingers lightly before settling for biting off half of it instead.

-----~~~~~-----

It took Yamato and Daisuke three hours to make it to the ballroom. They had played games for an hour in the game room, gotten lost in the maze in one of the gardens, had returned to the conservatory for a snack, and had sat for a while listening to the comedy routine before deciding that the poor man on stage was only half as funny as Gomamon.

There was a small orchestra playing on the far side of the room, and the dance floor was full of people. Daisuke cleared his throat, squared his shoulders, and then turned to stare at Yamato. It was a not-too-subtle hint, and Yamato grinned. "Would you care to dance?" he asked the younger boy, holding out his hand.

"Yes, I would," Daisuke answered, accepting his hand with a grin.

His first thought, as he led Daisuke onto the dance floor, was that he hoped that bouncing wasn't Daisuke's only version of dancing. His second was that, after the unexpected, but very amazing date they'd had so far, Daisuke could bounce as much as he wanted.

It was with surprise that Yamato felt Daisuke place a hand on his shoulder the other still gripping his hand. He smiled, placing his free hand on Daisuke's hip and leading him into the dance. It wasn't a perfect dance; even though they both knew the basics, neither had had much practice, and they had certainly never danced that way together.

Daisuke stepped on Yamato's foot, grimacing in apology. A moment later, Yamato stumbled on a turn and he stepped on Daisuke's foot in his effort to right himself. They laughed together, both faces turning light pink.

The music changed tempo, the rhythm slowing down. Yamato drew Daisuke closer, dropping his hand to wrap his arms around Daisuke's torso. The younger boy wrapped his arms around Yamato's shoulders and grinned at him. Together, they shuffled their feet slowly in beat to the music. 

Daisuke ducked his head for a moment, unable to help the grin on his face. He wanted to laugh out loud at the wonderful feeling that was coursing through him. When he looked back up, Yamato was smiling at him, his face close. With a swallow, Daisuke began to lean forwards, not really conscious of the action for a moment.

He drew back slightly, stopping himself before kissing the blond. He had wanted to kiss him, had wanted to breach the distance between them very badly, but he didn't want to mess up and do something stupid. He wanted Yamato to initiate the kiss, but he didn't know how to get that point across without opening his mouth, and that could be more disastrous than trying to kiss him.

Yamato stared down at Daisuke, feeling the younger boy's breath against his chin, the warmth of his body pressed close. The blond could sense Daisuke's hesitance, and he wondered at it for a moment as he gazed down at him. Time seemed to stand still, even as dancers spun around them, continuing the dance. Slowly, still in a trance, he brought his arm up and gently brushed his fingertips against Daisuke's cheek.

The hand that had so tenderly caressed Daisuke's cheek now cupped the same, tilting his chin up and leaving him in a better position to be kissed. With a small smile, Yamato leaned down and did exactly that, pressing his lips against the younger boy's mouth.

Daisuke's eyes rolled back into his head before drifting close. He stayed that way, head tilted back, eyes closed, for several moments after Yamato stopped kissing him. When he opened his eyes, they were bright. Yamato only had a moment to lose himself in them before Daisuke was leaning into him again, sealing their lips in another kiss.

-----~~~~~-----

__

A week ago, I was single and dreading today as if the world would end. Every day since then has brought about surprises and changes, the least of which have occurred in me. I would never have pictured myself walking home on Valentine's Day (or, actually, the morning after), trying to walk in step with Daisuke so that we wouldn't trip over each other, our arms around each other.

A week ago, I would have denied the fact that one fifteen-year old, hyperactive, adorably boisterous troublemaker could have instilled in me a love for a holiday I've dreaded for five years.

Yesterday (or the day before, who's counting?), when he gave me the gift, I was surprised. Valentine's Day is a traditionally female holiday, and yet, here was Daisuke, proud-to-the-point-of-arrogant, and he was placing himself in a 'girl's' role. Except…maybe he had the best idea. We're already breaking gender-roles by liking each other. Why not break a few more rules along the way?

A week ago, I would never have dreamed of kissing one of my guy friends in a ballroom full of people on Valentine's Day. I would never have imagined his lips being so soft, or his eyes so bright when he stared at me. I couldn't have imagined this feeling in my chest--it's like my heart wants to leap out and dance on its own.

I would never have imagined myself so willing to indulge in this feeling, this desire for more. And right now, with Daisuke sleeping on my couch because he insisted on walking me home at three in the morning (and because I refused to let him walk home alone at such a time), I can't imagine having not followed along with this idea from the beginning. There were so many points where a word or an action could have meant that tonight never came about.

I could have kicked him out of my apartment when he came to help me find clothes. If I hadn't spent the day with him, I don't know how I would have reacted to the chocolate. _And the following day, when we went shopping, I could've just written his behavior off as too childish. Then there was the hair day from hell. He touched my hair for so long...he made me feel better with that one action than all of Tai's promises that it would wash out. If I hadn't started to think that he liked me, it's possible that it could have taken a very long time for me to realize that I liked him. _

Everything's worked out for the best, however. I won't dwell on the stupid things I may have done or said in the past, because only a room away is a boy who is my new boyfriend. Right now, I'm feeling more awake than I should, since I only slept for four hours, and yesterday was a long day. I think I'll go indulge my heart some more, and watch Daisuke sleep…and maybe, just maybe…I'll wake him up.


End file.
